Wednesday, August 12
Starkville
6 p.m.
Mississippi State
1-0-0, 0-0-0
3
vs
0
South Alabama
0-1-0, 0-0-0
| Team | 1 | 2 | Final F |
|---|---|---|---|
| South Alabama | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Mississippi St. | 1 | 2 | 3 |
Newcomers Shine In Season-Opening Shutout Of South Alabama
August 12, 2026 | Soccer
STARKVILLE – Mississippi State opened the 2026 soccer season with a 3-0 victory against South Alabama in head coach Kevin O'Brien's debut at the helm.
Freshman Kati Anne Shepherd opened the O'Brien era early with a goal in the first five minutes of play. Shepherd pounced on a loose ball after a misplayed pass backwards from South Alabama. She beat the intended recipient to the free ball in the box and slotted it into the bottom left corner of the net with one touch.
"It gave us confidence, and I think their team, their heads are spinning like, 'Holy cow, we didn't have it scripted like that.'" O'Brien said. "So in two ways, it's beneficial for the Bulldogs. It was awesome and for her to get that. I think she just grew into the game with confidence. I mean, she could be in high school right now as a senior. She's 17 years old and started her first college game and scored in the first five minutes. Probably couldn't have scripted it better for her."
State controlled the remainder of the first half, outshooting the Jaguars, 15-2, with an 8-0 edge in shots on goal. The Bulldogs earned seven corners in the first 45 minutes alone.
The Bulldogs kept the pressure up in the second half, firing 11 shots to South Alabama's two. State had two chances to score midway through the half that it left on the table. A Kyli Switalski free kick was saved in the 69th minute, and the Bulldogs broke away in transition in the 74th minute with a three-on-one rush but the final shot was deflected for a corner.
Hailey Johnson scored on her fifth shot of the night in the 79th minute after another quick transition. Ashley Tutas played a ball up the wing from the back, and Reese Black cut it back just before the end line. Johnson settled the pass and calmly deposited it past the keeper.
In the final moments of the game, Reganne Morris added a third goal to result in the final score. With just over two minutes remaining, Abbey Dalton recovered a bouncing ball and sprinted through the Jaguar lines. She poked a pass to her right as she entered the box, and Morris did not miss.
"I'm just proud," O'Brien added. "You know, it's a month of work with a brand new group of players, so many new faces to try to get on the same page. It's hard. I mean, it's incredibly hard, and I'm just proud because of all the work they put in. Now, we've still got a long way to go. That was an unbelievable result against a really, really talented team, but there's still lots of room for improvement, lots of ways that we can sync up and be on the same page to create more opportunities."
State (1-0-0) was equally strong defensively against a consistently competitive program. The Bulldogs are the first team to hold South Alabama without a shot on goal since MSU did so itself on September 1, 2022, in a scoreless draw.
MSU has now won four consecutive season openers and is unbeaten in its last 10 home openers. The victory extends the Bulldogs' impressive winning streak at home against non-conference opponents to 11 matches. The program has not lost a regular-season non-conference match in Starkville since Aug. 31, 2023.
MSU is on the road on Sunday at UAB. Kickoff is scheduled for 7 p.m. CT with the match airing on ESPN+.
For more information on the Bulldog soccer program, follow on X, Facebook and Instagram by searching "HailStateSOC."
Freshman Kati Anne Shepherd opened the O'Brien era early with a goal in the first five minutes of play. Shepherd pounced on a loose ball after a misplayed pass backwards from South Alabama. She beat the intended recipient to the free ball in the box and slotted it into the bottom left corner of the net with one touch.
"It gave us confidence, and I think their team, their heads are spinning like, 'Holy cow, we didn't have it scripted like that.'" O'Brien said. "So in two ways, it's beneficial for the Bulldogs. It was awesome and for her to get that. I think she just grew into the game with confidence. I mean, she could be in high school right now as a senior. She's 17 years old and started her first college game and scored in the first five minutes. Probably couldn't have scripted it better for her."
State controlled the remainder of the first half, outshooting the Jaguars, 15-2, with an 8-0 edge in shots on goal. The Bulldogs earned seven corners in the first 45 minutes alone.
The Bulldogs kept the pressure up in the second half, firing 11 shots to South Alabama's two. State had two chances to score midway through the half that it left on the table. A Kyli Switalski free kick was saved in the 69th minute, and the Bulldogs broke away in transition in the 74th minute with a three-on-one rush but the final shot was deflected for a corner.
Hailey Johnson scored on her fifth shot of the night in the 79th minute after another quick transition. Ashley Tutas played a ball up the wing from the back, and Reese Black cut it back just before the end line. Johnson settled the pass and calmly deposited it past the keeper.
In the final moments of the game, Reganne Morris added a third goal to result in the final score. With just over two minutes remaining, Abbey Dalton recovered a bouncing ball and sprinted through the Jaguar lines. She poked a pass to her right as she entered the box, and Morris did not miss.
"I'm just proud," O'Brien added. "You know, it's a month of work with a brand new group of players, so many new faces to try to get on the same page. It's hard. I mean, it's incredibly hard, and I'm just proud because of all the work they put in. Now, we've still got a long way to go. That was an unbelievable result against a really, really talented team, but there's still lots of room for improvement, lots of ways that we can sync up and be on the same page to create more opportunities."
State (1-0-0) was equally strong defensively against a consistently competitive program. The Bulldogs are the first team to hold South Alabama without a shot on goal since MSU did so itself on September 1, 2022, in a scoreless draw.
MSU has now won four consecutive season openers and is unbeaten in its last 10 home openers. The victory extends the Bulldogs' impressive winning streak at home against non-conference opponents to 11 matches. The program has not lost a regular-season non-conference match in Starkville since Aug. 31, 2023.
MSU is on the road on Sunday at UAB. Kickoff is scheduled for 7 p.m. CT with the match airing on ESPN+.
For more information on the Bulldog soccer program, follow on X, Facebook and Instagram by searching "HailStateSOC."
Players Mentioned
M
/ Soccer
M/F
/ Soccer
F
/ Soccer
F
/ Soccer
F
/ Soccer
F
/ Soccer
D/M
/ SoccerTeam Stats
USA
MSU
Goals
0
3
Shots
4
26
Shots on Goal
0
12
Saves
9
0
Corners
4
12
Fouls
13
15
Scoring Plays
Kati Anne Shepherd (1)
GOAL by MSU Shepherd, Kati Anne.
04:46
Hailey Johnson (1)
Assisted By: Reese Black , Ashley Tutas
GOAL by MSU Johnson, Hailey Assist by Black, Reese and Tutas, Ashley.
78:49
Reganne Morris (1)
Assisted By: Abbey Dalton
GOAL by MSU Morris, Reganne Assist by Dalton, Abbey.
88:01
Game Leaders
Shots
5
SOG
2
Goals
1
Assists
0
Shots
5
SOG
2
Goals
1
Assists
0
Shots
1
SOG
1
Goals
1
Assists
0
mid
Shots
3
SOG
1
Goals
0
Assists
1
Wednesday, August 12
Saturday, November 15
Saturday, November 15
Saturday, November 15