Mississippi State soccer steamrolled past the Southern Jaguars 7-0 to win their first round NCAA Tournament match. The 1-seed Bulldogs dominated throughout, having no issues putting away Southern to advance to the second round.
Seven goals, seven scorers for Mississippi State
The Bulldogs went on an offensive rampage against Southern. State took control on the opening kick and possessed the ball for the majority of the match. They stayed on the attack throughout, attempting a school-record 38 shots. Seven of those shots would be converted, all coming from different players.
Maggie Wadsworth opened the scoring just 8:11 into the match. Price Loposer and Aitana Martinez-Montoya would both add goals within the first 30 minutes to give State a 3-0 halftime lead, effectively putting the match out of reach. The onslaught would continue in the second half. Riley Combs, Ally Perry, and Zoe Main would pour on goals all within the first 10 minutes of the second half. Kara Harris would finally tack on the final goal at the 70:49 mark, giving State a 7-0 victory.
This would officially be the most dominant win of the season for Mississippi State. Their previous season-high for goals scored was five. It was an emphatic wasy to secure win number 18 and advance to the second round.
The Bulldogs went untested on defense
State played elite defense all season long. They were arguably the best defensive team in the entire country. That defense went practically untested in this match. MSU controlled the ball for over the 90 minutes, and in the few instances where Southern would possess the ball, the Bulldogs got it right back. The Jaguars didn't attempt a single goal on Saturday. If your opponent literally doesn't take a shot, you probably handled business, and that's exactly what happened.
Mississippi State will face Washington in the second round
Mississippi State's second round NCAA Tournament match will come against the Washington Huskies next week in Starkville. The 9-seed Huskies went on the road to upset 8-seed Utah State. The Huskies and Aggies went through regulation and two overtime periods knotted at 0-0. Washington would win on a 3-1 penalty kick advantage to advance to the second round. This will be the first time in program history that the Bulldogs host a second round tournament game. Along with Washington, Mississippi State will also welcome Kentucky and Notre Dame to Starkville. The winner of Mississippi State-Washington will face the winner of Kentucky-Notre Dame.