Sunday, September 27
Lexington, Ky.
12 p.m.
Mississippi State
at
Kentucky
State Takes On Kentucky In Lexington Sunday
September 26, 2026 | Soccer
STARKVILLE โ Mississippi State, which is allowing just one goal per game in SEC play, will meet one of the league's highest-scoring clubs on Sunday at Kentucky. Kickoff is scheduled for noon CT on SEC Network+.
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The Wildcats have scored more than five goals in a game four times this year but were shut out by South Carolina on Thursday night. Meanwhile, the Bulldogs held No. 9/6 Tennessee to just one shot on goal while posting the third top-10 shutout in program history. MSU's defense has held opponents to just 6.6 shots per game, which is third-best in the SEC.
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Kevin O'Brien's squad is unbeaten through the first three conference matches, making him just the second first-year coach to achieve that feat in Starkville.
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Laila Murillo has been a key contributor offensively for State, averaging 4.00 shots per game in league play, which ranks third in the SEC. She leads the team with five goals thanks to a pair of braces.
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Short Bench: MSU has used the fewest players in the SEC in conference games with only 16 field players seeing time. Bench players combined are averaging just 83 minutes per game in SEC play or 9.3 percent of all field minutes.
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On The Front Foot: The Bulldogs have only trailed for 103:56 this season (12.8 percent of play) while leading for 520:07 of 900:00 minutes.
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Last Loss In Lexington: Mississippi State has won four straight against Kentucky, its second-longest active winning streak against an SEC opponent. State has not dropped a match in Lexington since 2014.
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Recent Success: Prior to 2024, MSU boasted just 60 SEC victories over 29 seasons. Since then, State has won 16 of its last 23.
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Head Coach: Troy Fabiano | Record at UK: 45-26-18 (5th Year) | Career Record: 368-116-60 (29th Year)
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The Wildcats have scored more than five goals in a game four times this year but were shut out by South Carolina on Thursday night. Meanwhile, the Bulldogs held No. 9/6 Tennessee to just one shot on goal while posting the third top-10 shutout in program history. MSU's defense has held opponents to just 6.6 shots per game, which is third-best in the SEC.
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Kevin O'Brien's squad is unbeaten through the first three conference matches, making him just the second first-year coach to achieve that feat in Starkville.
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Laila Murillo has been a key contributor offensively for State, averaging 4.00 shots per game in league play, which ranks third in the SEC. She leads the team with five goals thanks to a pair of braces.
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Kicking Off
SEC Surge: The start of SEC play has seen an offensive surge from State. The Bulldogs rank third in the league in goals in conference play despite a scoreless draw last time out. Laila Murillo ranks third in the league in shots per game in SEC matches (4.00).ย
Short Bench: MSU has used the fewest players in the SEC in conference games with only 16 field players seeing time. Bench players combined are averaging just 83 minutes per game in SEC play or 9.3 percent of all field minutes.
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On The Front Foot: The Bulldogs have only trailed for 103:56 this season (12.8 percent of play) while leading for 520:07 of 900:00 minutes.
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Last Loss In Lexington: Mississippi State has won four straight against Kentucky, its second-longest active winning streak against an SEC opponent. State has not dropped a match in Lexington since 2014.
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Recent Success: Prior to 2024, MSU boasted just 60 SEC victories over 29 seasons. Since then, State has won 16 of its last 23.
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About Kentucky (6-4-0, 2-1-0 SEC)
Rankings: IWSOC โ NR | TopDrawerSoccer โ NRHead Coach: Troy Fabiano | Record at UK: 45-26-18 (5th Year) | Career Record: 368-116-60 (29th Year)
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Series History
Overall: 8-14-0 | Current Streak: Won 4 | Home: 5-7-0 | Away: 3-7-0 | Neutral: 0-0-0 | Last Meeting: Oct. 24, 2024, MSU 1-0ย
Notables
Kentucky ranks seventh in the country in scoring offense (3.30), 15th in goal differential (plus-19), sixth in total goals and 13th in points per game (8.30). The Wildcats have outshot their opponents 154-90 so far this season and put 51.3 percent of their shots on frame. Kentucky was shut out for the first time this season on Thursday night by South Carolina, but the Wildcats have scored five or more goals in four separate matches this season. Kyla Dawn is seventh nationally with nine goals and second in the NCAA with a .750 shots on goal percentage.ย
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Next Up
State opens October with a three-match homestand. The Bulldogs will welcome No. 17/21 South Carolina on Friday, Oct. 2 at 6 p.m. CT. The match will be broadcast nationally on ESPNU.ย
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Follow the Bulldogs
For more information on the Bulldog soccer program, follow onย X,ย Facebookย andย Instagramย by searching "HailStateSOC."ย
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Players Mentioned
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