State Hosts Lipscomb To Begin NCAA Tournament Journey

STARKVILLE – For the fourth year in a row, Mississippi State is hosting NCAA tournament action in Starkville. The No. 6-seed Bulldogs will face Lipscomb at 5 p.m. CT on Saturday evening with the match available on ESPN+.

State (12-6-1, 5-4-1 SEC) is coming off its third consecutive appearance in the SEC Tournament semifinals. The Bulldogs set several school records in the SEC Tournament as a team and multiple players set individual records led by Ally Perry, who broke the program record for SEC Tournament games played and tied the overall career record for game-winning goals last week.

The Bulldogs are no strangers to NCAA tournament play having made five of the last eight fields, including four straight. They have reached the Sweet Sixteen in each of the past two years, and Mississippi State has hosted at least one game in every bracket it's been a part of.

Lipscomb (14-5-2, 7-2-1 ASUN) is fresh off back-to-back ASUN championships. The Bisons won their conference title by shutting out North Florida, 3-0. It is Lipscomb's second straight NCAA tournament appearance.

The two programs met in the 2018 NCAA Tournament, which was also the Bulldogs first appearance in program history. MSU lost that game in double overtime just 46 seconds shy of reaching penalty kicks. The teams have met twice since, with each claiming a victory on its home field.

Fans are reminded that NCAA events require tickets for admission and those may be purchased for $10 at HailState.com/Tickets. As a ticketed event, fans are subject to MSU's cooler and clear bag policies, which prohibit pets with the exception of service animals.

Kicking Off

Dawgs From Distance: Eleven of Mississippi State's 34 goals (32.4 percent) this year have been scored from outside the penalty area. In the SEC quarterfinals Rebeka Vega-Peleka's first goal at MSU and Ally Perry's winner were both from deep.

All She Does In Win: Ally Perry has now tied the MSU career (11) and single-season (5) record for game-winning goals this year and has the game-winner in four of the six top-10 wins in program history.

These Two Have History: MSU's first-ever NCAA Tournament opponent was Lipscomb in 2018. The Bisons scored the game's only goal on a free kick in sudden death overtime just 46 seconds prior to seeing the match go to penalties.

Keeping It Going: State has posted four straight 10-win seasons and earned four consecutive NCAA Tournament berths. Prior to the current stretch, there had been just three 10-win seasons in the program's history and only one NCAA Tournament match.

About Lipscomb (14-5-2, 7-2-1 ASUN)

Rankings: United Soccer Coaches – NR | TopDrawerSoccer – NR
Head Coach: Kevin O' Brien | Record at LIP: 154-80-37 (14th Year) | Career Record: 154-80-37 (14th Year)

Series History

Notables

The Bisons are coming off a 3-0 win against North Florida to win their second consecutive ASUN Championship. Prior to that, head coach Kevin O'Brien earned his 150th Division I victory against Central Arkansas. O'Brien was the conference's Coach of the Year for the first time. Eight Bisons earned All-ASUN honors, highlighted by Hailey Johnson, Bella Carapazza and Rebekah Doolittle on the First Team. Second Team selection Skylar Cole was a unanimous All-Freshman Team selection. Johnson ranks 10th nationally with a .636 shots on goal percentage.

Next Up

With a win, State would advance to the second round of the NCAA Tournament. If all other seeds hold, the Bulldogs will travel to No. 2 seed-Georgetown as one of four teams in Washington, D.C. for the second and third rounds. MSU would play the winner of No. 3-seed Florida State and Samford in the second round.

Follow the Bulldogs

For more information on the Bulldog soccer program, follow on X, Facebook and Instagram by searching "HailStateSOC."

State Hosts Lipscomb To Begin NCAA Tournament Journey

Next Event

Players Mentioned

Ally Perry

Rebeka Vega-Peleka

Mississippi State University Athletics

State Hosts Lipscomb To Begin NCAA Tournament Journey

Related News

Next Event

Players Mentioned

Ally Perry

Rebeka Vega-Peleka

Related Videos