Sunday, August 24
Starkville
6:30 p.m.
Mississippi State
2-0-0, 0-0-0
2
vs
1
#10 Wake Forest
3-1-0, 0-0-0
1
2
F
Wake Forest
1
0
1
Mississippi St.
1
1
2
Perry’s Penalty Helps Bulldogs Topple No. 10 Wake Forest
August 24, 2025 | Soccer
STARKVILLE – No. 10 Wake Forest had not lost and had not allowed a goal coming into Sunday night's match with Mississippi State. The Bulldogs changed all of that with a 2-1 victory in Starkville to claim their second win of the season.
The win was State's (2-0-0) fourth top-10 victory in program history, and it made Nick Zimmerman the third Bulldog head coach to open his career 2-0-0 and the first to win his first career match against a ranked opponent.
"We know it's an unbelievable program, very well-coached and they have some really, really good players," Zimmerman said. "For us, it was a great opportunity for us to see where we were at. We know we have been putting in the work, and it's a credit to the group. Like I said, it's young, it's new, and to find a way to get a result like this and compete in the second half, it's the first time this season we have had to do that, so this was really, really positive for us."
Kara Harris opened the scoring on a header in the 30th minute. Ally Perry took the initial shot from about 10 yards out, but the keeper made the save. The rebound caromed high in the air while Perry and the keeper were entangled, leaving Harris free to put the ball on frame. Wake Forest's defenders got a touch on the shot but not enough to stop it.
Mississippi State was the first team to score on Wake Forest (3-1-0) this season after the Demon Deacons held three straight opponents scoreless. Dating back to last year, Wake Forest had allowed just four goals over their previous nine matches since the start of the 2024 NCAA Tournament where they reached the national championship match. Harris was also responsible for State's only goal in last year's meeting between the two sides.
The Demon Deacons tied the match in the 41st minute. Harris misplayed a ball back to her goalkeeper, and Wake Forest's Allie Flanagan beat the keeper to the loose ball before calmly passing it into the net. However, State controlled the run of play in the first half, maintaining 58 percent of possession and outshooting Wake Forest, 9-1.
In the 71st minute, Perry drew a foul in the box to earn a penalty kick. She stepped up to the spot for the first time in her career and beat the keeper cleanly for the game-winner. It was Perry's seventh career game-winning goal, moving her into a tie for fourth in program history.
"We have a number of girls that take [penalty kicks] in training, and we just leave it up to them [to decide]," Zimmerman said. "We have the trust in them, and it's up to them. Credit to [Perry] on that one too because she absolutely stroked it."
Mississippi State now hits the road for a pair of matches in Big 12 country. State will play at Baylor on Thursday night with kickoff set for 7 p.m. CT. The Bulldogs will then head north to face Oklahoma State on Sunday at noon.
For more information on the Bulldog soccer program, follow on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram by searching "HailStateSOC."
The win was State's (2-0-0) fourth top-10 victory in program history, and it made Nick Zimmerman the third Bulldog head coach to open his career 2-0-0 and the first to win his first career match against a ranked opponent.
"We know it's an unbelievable program, very well-coached and they have some really, really good players," Zimmerman said. "For us, it was a great opportunity for us to see where we were at. We know we have been putting in the work, and it's a credit to the group. Like I said, it's young, it's new, and to find a way to get a result like this and compete in the second half, it's the first time this season we have had to do that, so this was really, really positive for us."
Kara Harris opened the scoring on a header in the 30th minute. Ally Perry took the initial shot from about 10 yards out, but the keeper made the save. The rebound caromed high in the air while Perry and the keeper were entangled, leaving Harris free to put the ball on frame. Wake Forest's defenders got a touch on the shot but not enough to stop it.
Mississippi State was the first team to score on Wake Forest (3-1-0) this season after the Demon Deacons held three straight opponents scoreless. Dating back to last year, Wake Forest had allowed just four goals over their previous nine matches since the start of the 2024 NCAA Tournament where they reached the national championship match. Harris was also responsible for State's only goal in last year's meeting between the two sides.
The Demon Deacons tied the match in the 41st minute. Harris misplayed a ball back to her goalkeeper, and Wake Forest's Allie Flanagan beat the keeper to the loose ball before calmly passing it into the net. However, State controlled the run of play in the first half, maintaining 58 percent of possession and outshooting Wake Forest, 9-1.
In the 71st minute, Perry drew a foul in the box to earn a penalty kick. She stepped up to the spot for the first time in her career and beat the keeper cleanly for the game-winner. It was Perry's seventh career game-winning goal, moving her into a tie for fourth in program history.
"We have a number of girls that take [penalty kicks] in training, and we just leave it up to them [to decide]," Zimmerman said. "We have the trust in them, and it's up to them. Credit to [Perry] on that one too because she absolutely stroked it."
Mississippi State now hits the road for a pair of matches in Big 12 country. State will play at Baylor on Thursday night with kickoff set for 7 p.m. CT. The Bulldogs will then head north to face Oklahoma State on Sunday at noon.
For more information on the Bulldog soccer program, follow on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram by searching "HailStateSOC."
Team Stats
WF
MSU
Goals
1
2
Shots
7
15
Shots on Goal
4
6
Saves
4
3
Corners
3
5
Fouls
7
6
Scoring Plays
Kara Harris (1)
Assisted By: Ally Perry , Kennedy Husbands
GOAL by MSU Harris, Kara Assist by Perry, Ally and Husbands, Kennedy.
33:24
Allie Flanagan (1)
GOAL by WF Flanagan, Allie.
40:04
Ally Perry
MSU Ally Perry PENALTY KICK GOAL.
70:21
Game Leaders
Players
mid
Shots
8
SOG
4
Goals
1
Assists
1
mid
Shots
2
SOG
1
Goals
1
Assists
0
Shots
0
SOG
0
Goals
0
Assists
1
Shots
2
SOG
0
Goals
0
Assists
0
Players Mentioned
M
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