Thursday, September 3
Starkville
5 p.m.
Mississippi State
vs
Louisiana
Bulldogs Return To MSU Soccer Field Thursday Against Louisiana
September 02, 2026 | Soccer
STARKVILLE – Mississippi State will host its fourth and final member of the Sun Belt Conference's west division on Thursday when the Bulldogs welcome Louisiana to the MSU Soccer Field. Kickoff is set for 5 p.m. CT on SEC Network+.
Hailey Johnson has led the way for State (5-0-0), recording a point in all but one match this year and contributing an assist or scoring herself on more than a third of the Bulldogs' 15 goals this year. Behind her, Kati Anne Shepherd has produced a dynamic start to her freshman season, totaling eight points (3 G, 2 A) in her first five games.
Meanwhile, Jenny Harrison has posted two shutouts and ranks fourth in the SEC with a 0.42 goals against average, but she has not been tested often as the Bulldogs are allowing just 4.4 shots per game this season. Only Auburn (3.2) is allowing fewer in the SEC this season.
Louisiana comes into the match fresh off the best opening month in program history, and its 18 goals lead the Sun Belt. Last time out, the Ragin' Cajuns (4-1-1) scored four times in a 10-minute span.
Making A Difference: The Bulldogs' plus-13 goal differential is the second-highest through five games in program history and currently ranks No. 13 nationally.
Hailing Hailey: Hailey Johnson has recorded at least one point in all but one match this year. She has scored or assisted on six of State's 15 goals and been on the field for all but one.
Ashley All Day: Ashley Tutas has played in all but 17 minutes and 30 seconds this season, which is 96.3 percent of all games.
Head Coach: Chris McBride | Record at ULL: 28-30-21 (5th Year) | Career Record: 59-72-36 (10th Year)
Hailey Johnson has led the way for State (5-0-0), recording a point in all but one match this year and contributing an assist or scoring herself on more than a third of the Bulldogs' 15 goals this year. Behind her, Kati Anne Shepherd has produced a dynamic start to her freshman season, totaling eight points (3 G, 2 A) in her first five games.
Meanwhile, Jenny Harrison has posted two shutouts and ranks fourth in the SEC with a 0.42 goals against average, but she has not been tested often as the Bulldogs are allowing just 4.4 shots per game this season. Only Auburn (3.2) is allowing fewer in the SEC this season.
Louisiana comes into the match fresh off the best opening month in program history, and its 18 goals lead the Sun Belt. Last time out, the Ragin' Cajuns (4-1-1) scored four times in a 10-minute span.
Kicking Off
A Win Would: A win on Thursday would be historic in many ways. It would be State's 150th victory at home and tie the longest home non-conference regular-season unbeaten streak in school history, a 16-0-0 run from Sept. 4, 1995-Sept. 16, 1998, that began with the second-ever match for the program. Lastly, it would put state just one win away from tying the longest regular-season, non-conference winning streak home or away in program history (10 games).Making A Difference: The Bulldogs' plus-13 goal differential is the second-highest through five games in program history and currently ranks No. 13 nationally.
Hailing Hailey: Hailey Johnson has recorded at least one point in all but one match this year. She has scored or assisted on six of State's 15 goals and been on the field for all but one.
Ashley All Day: Ashley Tutas has played in all but 17 minutes and 30 seconds this season, which is 96.3 percent of all games.
About Louisiana (4-1-1, 0-0-0 SBC)
Rankings: IWSOC – NR | TopDrawerSoccer – NRHead Coach: Chris McBride | Record at ULL: 28-30-21 (5th Year) | Career Record: 59-72-36 (10th Year)
Series History
Overall: 3-0-0 | Current Streak: Won 3 | Home: 3-0-0 | Away: 0-0-0 | Neutral: 0-0-0 | Last Meeting: Aug. 22, 2021, MSU 2-0Notables
Louisiana set a program record for wins in August this season with four. Their quick-strike offense scored three times in a 10-minute span last time out on the way to a 4-1 victory. Miku Kurihara scored in each of the team's first four games. She leads the team in goals, points and shots. Fourteen different Louisiana players have a point this season, and the Ragin' Cajuns lead the Sun Belt Conference in scoring offense, goal differential, points and assists while ranking second in the league in shots on goal per game.Next Up
The Bulldogs host Charlotte on Sunday for Senior Day. Kickoff on SEC Network+ is scheduled for 1 p.m. with senior ceremonies beginning at 12:45 p.m.Follow the Bulldogs
For more information on the Bulldog soccer program, follow on X, Facebook and Instagram by searching "HailStateSOC."
Players Mentioned
Sunday, August 30
Sunday, August 30
Thursday, August 27
Thursday, August 27