MState Soccer Rallies For 2-1 Road Win Over Southern Miss In Non-Conference Finale

Sunday, September 21

Hattiesburg, Miss.

2:00 p.m.

Mississippi State

5-4-0

Southern Miss

4-3-1

Team	1	2	Final F
Mississippi State	2	0	2
Southern Mississippi	1	0	1

MState Soccer Rallies For 2-1 Road Win Over Southern Miss In Non-Conference Finale

September 21, 2008 | Soccer

Box Score

By: hailstate.com

? Official Statistics
? Official Statistics (PDF)

HATTIESBURG, Miss. ? The Mississippi State soccer team closed out the non-conference slate on a high note Sunday afternoon as it rallied for a 2-1 win over Southern Mississippi at the Southern Miss Soccer Complex in Hattiesburg.

The Bulldogs got first-half goals from freshman Tarah Henderson and junior Heather Buttrey, and it would be all the offense the Dogs would need as the defense made a number of stops in improving the team to 5-4 on the year. USM fell to 4-3-1 on the year with the loss.

“We started slow and gave up the early goal,” MState head coach Neil Macdonald said. “But I was very proud of the way we fought back and converted a pair of opportunities to take the lead at halftime. Our defense made some big plays, especially in the second half, and we came away with a hard-fought victory in a very tough place to play. This is a huge win as we get ready to start conference play.”

State was out-shot on the afternoon 21-12, but only seven of the Golden Eagles' shots came on goal. Junior goalkeeper Taryn Holland was stellar down the stretch, finishing the afternoon with six stops.

After falling behind 1-0 on Sarah McFadden's score in the 14th minute, the Bulldogs found their offensive rhythm in the 33rd minute and put together an impressive scoring run to knot the game at a goal apiece.

State worked the ball into the USM end of the field and found junior Katelyn Graben just outside the box. The Gulfport native punched a pass past a Golden Eagle defender to freshman Tarah Henderson, and the Martinez, Ga., native deposited her third goal of the season into the net.

MSU took its first lead, one that it would not give up, just seven minutes later. Senior Meredith Jacboson headed a ball to junior Heather Buttrey, and the Charlotte, N.C., native slipped past her defender and beat USM goalkeeper Holly Cox for her first goal of the campaign.

State converted its two goals on only four shots in the opening half, but the offense found its life in the second half, tallying eight shot opportunities. Although the Bulldogs missed out on a couple of on-goal opportunities, the defense made some key plays to preserve the lead.

The Bulldogs return home to host a pair of SEC Western Division foes for the opening weekend of conference action. State takes on LSU on Friday at 7 p.m. before challenging Arkansas on Sunday in a 1 p.m. kickoff at the MSU Soccer Field. Admission to all Mississippi State home soccer matches is free.