Friday, September 11
Oxford, Miss.
7 p.m.
Mississippi State
7-1-0, 1-0-0
4
at
1
Ole Miss
7-2-0, 0-1-0
| Team | 1 | 2 | Final F |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mississippi St. | 1 | 3 | 4 |
| Ole Miss | 0 | 1 | 1 |
State Secures Seventh Straight Magnolia Cup Victory
September 11, 2026 | Soccer
OXFORD, Miss. – Mississippi State won the Magnolia Cup for the seventh consecutive year, the longest winning streak by either side in the rivalry's history, with a 4-1 victory at Ole Miss on Friday night.
State (7-1-0, 1-0-0 SEC) scored three second-half goals for its highest scoring output against the Rebels in program history. Laila Murillo led the way with her third career multi-goal game. Kati Anne Shepherd tallied the game-winner, and Kara Harris added her first goal of the year.
"Well, it was chippy early on, then it managed to stay chippy the entire length of the game," head coach Kevin O'Brien said. "I don't know if every SEC game feels like that, but it was two more-physical, more-direct teams playing against each other, so it was like a heavyweight fight. They slugged us. We slugged them back. I don't think it was the greatest game of soccer we've played this year, but we did what it took to pick up three points and retain the Cup. For me, as a head coach, I'm nothing but proud of these girls and the way they dug their heels in and just battled."
In the 19th minute, Reese Wheeler recovered a ball deep in Ole Miss' half of the field and laid the ball off to Chiara Tappe. Tappe served the ball over everyone, and Murillo dove to get a head on it. Her shot popped up over the keeper and to the far post for the night's first goal.
Both teams took four shots in the first half, and Jenny Harrison was as tested as she's been all season, making a season-high-tying four saves in the first 45 minutes alone. A chippy game saw 17 fouls called in the first half and two cards given out in the first 10 minutes.
Ole Miss (7-2-0, 0-1-0 SEC) equalized from distance in the 56th minute, snapping a streak of 455:28 without scoring in the Magnolia Cup rivalry. Shortly after that, the early fouls and cards came back to bite the Rebels. Ole Miss' Jenna Studer was shown her second yellow card in the 69th minute, and just 18 seconds later Shepherd scored the game-winning goal.
Harris scored from well outside the box in the 81st minute, and in the 85th she drew a penalty. Murillo stepped up and buried it for the final score.
"When the penalty went in, it felt like, okay, that's too far a distance for them to come back down a player," O'Brien said. "Yeah, that fourth goal was when it felt secure, but as a coach, you know, you're still coaching even up 3-1, up a player just because a game of soccer is very fickle and unpredictable. I've seen crazy things happen, and I didn't want that to happen against us."
The Bulldogs host No. 23 Florida on Friday, Sept. 18 at 6 p.m. CT on SEC Network+. It will be State's first match against its former head coach and MSU's SEC home opener.
For more information on the Bulldog soccer program, follow on X, Facebook and Instagram by searching "HailStateSOC."
State (7-1-0, 1-0-0 SEC) scored three second-half goals for its highest scoring output against the Rebels in program history. Laila Murillo led the way with her third career multi-goal game. Kati Anne Shepherd tallied the game-winner, and Kara Harris added her first goal of the year.
"Well, it was chippy early on, then it managed to stay chippy the entire length of the game," head coach Kevin O'Brien said. "I don't know if every SEC game feels like that, but it was two more-physical, more-direct teams playing against each other, so it was like a heavyweight fight. They slugged us. We slugged them back. I don't think it was the greatest game of soccer we've played this year, but we did what it took to pick up three points and retain the Cup. For me, as a head coach, I'm nothing but proud of these girls and the way they dug their heels in and just battled."
In the 19th minute, Reese Wheeler recovered a ball deep in Ole Miss' half of the field and laid the ball off to Chiara Tappe. Tappe served the ball over everyone, and Murillo dove to get a head on it. Her shot popped up over the keeper and to the far post for the night's first goal.
Both teams took four shots in the first half, and Jenny Harrison was as tested as she's been all season, making a season-high-tying four saves in the first 45 minutes alone. A chippy game saw 17 fouls called in the first half and two cards given out in the first 10 minutes.
Ole Miss (7-2-0, 0-1-0 SEC) equalized from distance in the 56th minute, snapping a streak of 455:28 without scoring in the Magnolia Cup rivalry. Shortly after that, the early fouls and cards came back to bite the Rebels. Ole Miss' Jenna Studer was shown her second yellow card in the 69th minute, and just 18 seconds later Shepherd scored the game-winning goal.
Harris scored from well outside the box in the 81st minute, and in the 85th she drew a penalty. Murillo stepped up and buried it for the final score.
"When the penalty went in, it felt like, okay, that's too far a distance for them to come back down a player," O'Brien said. "Yeah, that fourth goal was when it felt secure, but as a coach, you know, you're still coaching even up 3-1, up a player just because a game of soccer is very fickle and unpredictable. I've seen crazy things happen, and I didn't want that to happen against us."
The Bulldogs host No. 23 Florida on Friday, Sept. 18 at 6 p.m. CT on SEC Network+. It will be State's first match against its former head coach and MSU's SEC home opener.
For more information on the Bulldog soccer program, follow on X, Facebook and Instagram by searching "HailStateSOC."
Players Mentioned
M
/ Soccer
GK
/ Soccer
M
/ Soccer
F
/ Soccer
D
/ Soccer
D/M
/ SoccerTeam Stats
MSU
MIS
Goals
4
1
Shots
13
11
Shots on Goal
8
7
Saves
6
3
Corners
2
5
Fouls
17
16
Scoring Plays
Laila Murillo (4)
Assisted By: Chiara Tappe , Reese Wheeler
GOAL by MSU Murillo, Laila Assist by Tappe, Chiara and Wheeler, Reese.
18:02
Sarah Granno (2)
Assisted By: Cassidy Kuehne
GOAL by MIS Granno, Sarah Assist by Kuehne, Cassidy.
55:30
Kati Anne Shepherd (4)
GOAL by MSU Shepherd, Kati Anne.
68:27
Kara Harris (1)
GOAL by MSU Harris, Kara.
80:19
Laila Murillo (4)
MSU Laila Murillo PENALTY KICK GOAL.
84:51
Game Leaders
Shots
6
SOG
3
Goals
2
Assists
0
mid
Shots
2
SOG
2
Goals
1
Assists
0
Shots
2
SOG
2
Goals
1
Assists
0
Shots
0
SOG
0
Goals
0
Assists
1
Sunday, September 06
Thursday, September 03
Sunday, August 30
Sunday, August 30