Sunday, September 19
Tulsa, Okla.
1:00 PM
Mississippi State
7-2-0
1
at
0
Oral Roberts
4-4-0
1st half1
2nd half2
FinalF
MSU
0
1
1
Oral Roberts
0
0
0
Walsh's Golden Goal Carries Bulldogs to 1-0 Win Against Oral Roberts
September 19, 2010 | Soccer
TULSA, Okla. – Kat Walsh's 70th-minute goal lifted Mississippi State to a 1-0 win against Oral Roberts Sunday afternoon in Tulsa, Okla.
The game was a back-and-forth battle until Walsh broke the scoreless drought at the 69:21 mark. Senior Ashley Hood corralled the ball in the midfield and found Walsh on a run down the left side. The Birmingham, Ala., native worked past the defender and lined the ball into the right side of the net for her first goal of the season and school fourth-best 10th of her career.
The win improved the Bulldogs to 7-2 overall heading into Southeastern Conference play next weekend. Oral Roberts fell to 4-4 with the setback.
“It's great to get the win going into SEC play. I didn't think we played particularly well today, but I'm proud that we found a way to win despite having several players out of the lineup,” Mississippi State head coach Neil Macdonald said. “Kat got a chance in the second half and made it count. It's great to see her back out there, and hopefully we can get some players back on the field for next weekend's SEC opener.”
The Bulldog defense tightened after Walsh's golden goal to pitch the team's fourth shutout of the season. Freshman goalkeeper Abby Risner was stellar in net, stopping a season-high nine shots en route to collecting the first blank sheet of her career.
With the defense holding the Golden Eagles out of the scoring column, the Bulldogs almost netted a second goal with 13 minutes left. Hood received the ball on a breakaway opportunity, but ORU goalkeeper Amanda Wheeler made a diving stop, one of five in the match, just before the Huntsville, Ala., native could chip the ball into the net.
ORU claimed a seven-shot advantage in the match, but the Bulldogs put a higher percentage of opportunities between the pipes.
Hood led State with four of the Dawgs' 18 shots. Whitney Brannan and Lauren Parks collected three shots each to pace Oral Roberts.
The fast-paced second half came on the heels of a back-and-forth opening session that ended scoreless.
State almost had the game's first goal just three minutes into the match. Freshman Elisabeth Sullivan took a pass along the right side and dribbled toward the net. She dropped a pass to Hood, but her attempt was deflected away from the net just before crossing the line.
MSU had another scoring opportunity with 23 minutes left. Hood slipped a pass between defenders to sophomore Jasmine Simmons, but the Edmond, Okla., native's shot sailed just to the right of the far post.
State fired another attempt with a minute left in the opening period. The Dawgs found Madison McKee in the box, but her header carried just high of the cross bar.
The Bulldogs hope to build on the momentum of the victory as they make a trek through Alabama next weekend to open SEC play. Mississippi State opens the conference slate against Auburn at 7 p.m. Friday before venturing to Tuscaloosa for a showdown with Alabama at 1 p.m. on Sunday.
MSU (7-2-0) vs. Oral Roberts (4-4-0)
Date: Sep 19, 2010 Attendance: 312
Weather:
Goals by period 1 2 Tot
-------------------------------
MSU................. 0 1 - 1
Oral Roberts........ 0 0 - 0
SCORING SUMMARY:
1. 69:21 MSU Kat Walsh (Ashley Hood)
Shots: MSU 11, Oral Roberts 18
Saves: MSU 9 (Abby Risner 9), Oral Roberts 5 (Amanda Wheeler 5)
The game was a back-and-forth battle until Walsh broke the scoreless drought at the 69:21 mark. Senior Ashley Hood corralled the ball in the midfield and found Walsh on a run down the left side. The Birmingham, Ala., native worked past the defender and lined the ball into the right side of the net for her first goal of the season and school fourth-best 10th of her career.
The win improved the Bulldogs to 7-2 overall heading into Southeastern Conference play next weekend. Oral Roberts fell to 4-4 with the setback.
“It's great to get the win going into SEC play. I didn't think we played particularly well today, but I'm proud that we found a way to win despite having several players out of the lineup,” Mississippi State head coach Neil Macdonald said. “Kat got a chance in the second half and made it count. It's great to see her back out there, and hopefully we can get some players back on the field for next weekend's SEC opener.”
The Bulldog defense tightened after Walsh's golden goal to pitch the team's fourth shutout of the season. Freshman goalkeeper Abby Risner was stellar in net, stopping a season-high nine shots en route to collecting the first blank sheet of her career.
With the defense holding the Golden Eagles out of the scoring column, the Bulldogs almost netted a second goal with 13 minutes left. Hood received the ball on a breakaway opportunity, but ORU goalkeeper Amanda Wheeler made a diving stop, one of five in the match, just before the Huntsville, Ala., native could chip the ball into the net.
ORU claimed a seven-shot advantage in the match, but the Bulldogs put a higher percentage of opportunities between the pipes.
Hood led State with four of the Dawgs' 18 shots. Whitney Brannan and Lauren Parks collected three shots each to pace Oral Roberts.
The fast-paced second half came on the heels of a back-and-forth opening session that ended scoreless.
State almost had the game's first goal just three minutes into the match. Freshman Elisabeth Sullivan took a pass along the right side and dribbled toward the net. She dropped a pass to Hood, but her attempt was deflected away from the net just before crossing the line.
MSU had another scoring opportunity with 23 minutes left. Hood slipped a pass between defenders to sophomore Jasmine Simmons, but the Edmond, Okla., native's shot sailed just to the right of the far post.
State fired another attempt with a minute left in the opening period. The Dawgs found Madison McKee in the box, but her header carried just high of the cross bar.
The Bulldogs hope to build on the momentum of the victory as they make a trek through Alabama next weekend to open SEC play. Mississippi State opens the conference slate against Auburn at 7 p.m. Friday before venturing to Tuscaloosa for a showdown with Alabama at 1 p.m. on Sunday.
MSU (7-2-0) vs. Oral Roberts (4-4-0)
Date: Sep 19, 2010 Attendance: 312
Weather:
Goals by period 1 2 Tot
-------------------------------
MSU................. 0 1 - 1
Oral Roberts........ 0 0 - 0
SCORING SUMMARY:
1. 69:21 MSU Kat Walsh (Ashley Hood)
Shots: MSU 11, Oral Roberts 18
Saves: MSU 9 (Abby Risner 9), Oral Roberts 5 (Amanda Wheeler 5)
Team Stats
MSU
ORU
Goals
1
0
Shots
11
18
Shots on Goal
6
9
Saves
9
5
Corners
2
4
Fouls
14
10
Scoring Plays
Kat Walsh
Assisted By: Ashley Hood
GOAL by MSU Kat Walsh (FIRST GOAL), Assist by Ashley Hood.
69:21
Game Leaders
Shots
4
SOG
1
Goals
0
Assists
1
Shots
1
SOG
1
Goals
0
Assists
0
Shots
1
SOG
1
Goals
0
Assists
0
Players Mentioned
M/F
/ Soccer
M
/ Soccer
GK
/ Soccer
M
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