Bulldogs Host Auburn For International Night In Starkville

STARKVILLE – No. 12 Mississippi State will put its 17-match regular-season home unbeaten streak on the line on Sunday night with a man who was on the sidelines for 13 of those games sitting on the opposite bench.

The Bulldogs welcome Auburn and former head coach James Armstrong back to the MSU Soccer Field at 6 p.m. CT on Sunday night. The match will air on SEC Network+, and it will mark the first time a former Bulldog head coach has returned to Starkville with an opposing team.

State (7-1-0, 2-0-0 SEC) is coming off a 3-0 thrashing of 2024 SEC Tournament champions Texas, improving the conference's regular-season champion's record to 11-3-1 when playing the tournament champion in the following season.

Sunday night will be International Night in Starkville, and the Bulldogs boast eight foreign nations among the 2025 roster's FIFA eligibility. Three players have already represented their national teams: Naila Schoefberger (Austria), Rebeka Vega-Peleka (Venezuela) and Sofía Aguayo (Peru). At least one rostered player has either had previous national team experience or gone on to play for their national team in seven of the last nine seasons.

The first 500 fans in attendance can pick up this year's MSU soccer scarf for free on Sunday evening.

Kicking Off

Love For Laila: Freshman Laila Murillo recorded her first career multi-goal game last time out, scoring twice at Texas. She is one of eight players in the SEC with multiple goals in conference play.

Keep The Streak: The Bulldogs have not lost a regular-season match at home since Sept. 21, 2023, going 15-0-2 in that span.

Second-Half Surge: State has scored 75 percent of its goals in the second half and outscored opponents, 15-5, in the last frame.

Ally On The Attack: SEC Offensive Player of the Week Ally Perry has recorded nine points in her last three matches. She ranks 18th nationally in assists and 10th in game winning goals.

Fast Start: Nick Zimmerman is one of 20 first-time head coaches in Division I this year, and his seven wins are tied for the most among that group. He is one of two with their squads among the RPI Top 25.

About Auburn (5-2-2, 1-0-1 SEC)

Rankings: United Soccer Coaches – NR | TopDrawerSoccer – NR
Head Coach: James Armstrong | Record at AUB: 5-2-2 (1st Year) | Career Record: 67-37-20 (7th Year)

Series History

Notables

Auburn head coach James Armstrong spent the last six seasons leading the Bulldogs where he became MSU's winningest coach and won the 2024 SEC Coach of the Year award. The Tigers rank seventh nationally in shots per game and 10th in shots on goal per game while leading the conference in both categories. They are 11th in corner kicks per game. The Tigers have not allowed a goal in any win this season, but when they have been scored on first, they are 0-2-1. Dylan Driver is fifth nationally and second in the SEC in assists this year while Erin Flurey is No. 11 nationally in goals

Next Up

The Bulldogs have just one match next week, traveling to Missouri on Friday night. Kickoff in Columbia is set for 7 p.m. CT on SEC Network+.

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Bulldogs Host Auburn For International Night In Starkville

Next Event

Players Mentioned

Laila Murillo

Ally Perry

Naila Schoefberger

Rebeka Vega-Peleka

Mississippi State University Athletics

Bulldogs Host Auburn For International Night In Starkville

Next Event

Players Mentioned

Laila Murillo

Ally Perry

Naila Schoefberger

Rebeka Vega-Peleka

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