Mississippi State
8-2-1 (0-2-1SEC)
#7 Florida
8-3-1 (2-0-1SEC)
Walsh Goal, Stellar Defense Lead MSU To 1-1 Tie With No. 7 Florida
October 02, 2009 | Soccer
• Official Statistics
• Official Statistics (PDF)
STARKVILLE, Miss. – Junior Kat Walsh's 19th-minute goal and a stellar defensive effort lifted the Mississippi State soccer team to a 1-1 tie with No. 7 Florida Friday night at the MSU Soccer Field.
Playing in front of a crowd of 636, the fifth-largest in school history, State (8-2-1, 0-2-1 SEC) went toe-to-toe with the Gators. Head coach Neil Macdonald's squad out-shot UF 16-15, with 11 of those attempts coming on goal.
“I thought we played really well for the full 110 minutes against a very good team,” MSU head coach Neil Macdonald said. “We were organized well. Our defense was outstanding, and it helped us transition to the attack. I am very proud of this team because we out-shot the seventh-ranked team in the country.”
The draw was the first for MSU since a scoreless tie against 28th-ranked South Carolina in 2007.
After missing on a pair of early opportunities, including a penalty kick in the 17th minute, Walsh put MSU up 1-0 with her seventh goal of the year. The Birmingham native beat her defender down the left side of the field and fired the ball past UF goalkeeper Katie Fraine.
MSU freshman Madison McKee had a shot to extend the lead with 19:21 left in the opening half, but Fraine made the stop, one of 10 on the night, to keep the score at 1-0.
Senior goalkeeper Taryn Holland, MSU's career saves leader, turned back four first-half attempts by the Gators to lift the Dawgs to the 1-0 halftime lead. The SEC's active career saves leader ended the night with five stops.
State's defense continued its stellar play in the second half, but the Gators broke through with the tying score with just under six minutes remaining. A Bulldog foul inside the box gave UF a penalty kick, and Lindsay Thompson slotted it past Holland to send the match to overtime.
MSU came out firing in the pair of 10-minute extra sessions, out-shooting UF 6-1 with four attempts coming inside the frame. Walsh had a shot stopped by Fraine in the 93rd minute, and attempts by McKee and Monica Alvarado were turned back in the 96th and 99th minutes, respectively.
Fatigue from the intense battle and muddy field conditions slowed both teams in the final stanza, with MSU firing the only two shots of the period.
The Bulldogs return to action on Sunday, hosting No. 8 South Carolina in a 1 p.m. kickoff at the MSU Soccer Field. Admission to all Bulldog home soccer matches is free.
Florida 8-3-1 (2-0-1 SEC) vs. Mississippi State 8-2-1 (0-2-1 SEC)
Date: Oct 2, 2009 Attendance: 636
Goals by period 1 2 OT O2 Tot
-------------------------------------
Florida............. 0 1 0 0 - 1
Mississippi State... 1 0 0 0 - 1
SCORING SUMMARY:
1. 18:49 MSU Kat Walsh (7) (unassisted)
2. 84:38 UF Lindsay THOMPSON (7) Penalty kick
Shots: Florida 15, Mississippi State 16
Saves: Florida 10 (Katie FRAINE 10), Mississippi State 5 (Taryn
Holland 5)
Team Stats
Kat Walsh (7)
beat defender on left side
18:49
Lindsay THOMPSON (7)
UF Lindsay THOMPSON PENALTY KICK GOAL, goal number 7 for season.
84:38
