Mississippi State
5-8-3 (2-5-1SEC)
#11 Florida
13-4-0 (6-2-0SEC)
Bulldogs Upset No. 11 Florida On Senior Day
October 16, 2011 | Soccer
STARKVILLE, Miss. - Mississippi State seniors Tarah Henderson, Kim Pettit, Serena Prendergast and Taylor Turnipseed have one more match at home on Thursday, but they will always remember their Senior Day.
Sophomore Elisabeth Sullivan scored 37 seconds after the opening whistle, the second-fastest goal in school history, and a Mississippi State defense led by 13 saves from Skylar Rosson made it stand as the Bulldogs upset No. 11 Florida 1-0 at the MSU Soccer Field.
Mississippi State defeated its highest-ranked opponent since the 2006 squad knocked off No. 8 Tennessee 3-2 at the MSU Soccer Field. State also knocked off its second ranked foe of the season, a mark that was last accomplished when the 2003 squad defeated No. 25 Missouri and a sixth-ranked Gators squad.
The Bulldogs improved to 5-8-3 overall and 2-5-1 in league play. The victory, combined with Alabama and Vanderbilt losses, puts the Dawgs into a tie for eighth in the race to the SEC Tournament, which will be played Nov. 2-6 in Orange Beach, Ala.
Sunday's win also marks the second-straight victory on Senior Day for the Bulldogs after last year's squad closed the season with a 2-1 win against Ole Miss.
Sullivan's goal was setup by freshman Amy Hoover. The Brookhaven, Miss., native stole a Florida pass in the midfield, then slipped a perfectly-placed service to Sullivan through the Florida back line. Sullivan dribbled down the left side and fired a shot from 16 yards out that beat UF keeper Taylor Burke to the left.
"Amy played a perfectly-placed ball between the defenders, and I just ran on to it," Sullivan said. "The defense did amazing. We couldn't have done it without them, and Skylar was a big part of that."
The goal was the fourth of the season and the 10th of the Memphis native's career. With 28 career points, Sullivan is now tied for 10th in the MSU record books.
"We've been working on pressuring the ball defensively a lot lately, and we turned it over in a key area of the field. Elisabeth released through and created a one-v-one opportunity. She's great in those situations and she stuck it," Neil Macdonald said.
Rosson and the Bulldog defense made the lead hold despite facing 24 shots from the Gators. Rosson stopped six shots in the opening half and seven more over the final 45 minutes.
The Edmond, Okla., native's 13 saves are her second-most this season. She tied for fifth in single-season school history with her fourth shutout of the year and third in career blank sheets with her seventh.
"It was great getting up so early because we could relax and play our game," Rosson said. "The defense did awesome. We stuck to the game plan the coaches set up, and we came out on top. This is probably the most exciting game I have ever played. It shows that we can play with anyone."
Sullivan had another chance three minutes after her first goal, but her shot was saved by Burke. The Gators countered, but Rosson snagged the attempt from Tahnai Annis.
Rosson turned away another attempt by Annis in the 15th minute and a shot by Erika Tymrak in the 23rd.
With just under 20 minutes left in the opening half, Henderson made a run toward the goal, but her attempt over a diving Burke carried just wide of target.
State denied a Florida scoring chance with five seconds remaining in the opening half. Carolina Trigilia headed a service toward the net, but Rosson deflected the ball wide of target to carry the 1-0 Bulldog lead to halftime.
With just over 36 minutes left, Florida's Annie Speese had a point-blank look at goal, but Rosson once again came up with the stop.
"The defensive effort was phenomenal. We had great team shape and incredible discipline going with runners," Macdonald said. "Skylar was outstanding in goal today."
Henderson came inches away from another strike in the 65th minute. The Martinez, Ga., native fired a ball from over 20 yards out that beat Burke before climbing just over the cross bar.
Sullivan had another scoring chance stopped in the 77th minute, but the Bulldogs made her early goal stand as Rosson stopped three on-goal opportunities by the Gators in the last nine minutes of the match.
Mississippi State hosts Kentucky at 7 p.m. Thursday to wrap the 2011 home slate. Admission to the match is free.
Florida13-4-0 (6-2-0 SEC) vs.
Mississippi State5-8-3 (2-5-1 SEC)
Date: Oct 16, 2011 Attendance: 575
Goals by period 1 2 Tot
-------------------------------
Florida............. 0 0 - 0
Mississippi State... 1 0 - 1
SCORING SUMMARY:
1. 0:37 MSU Elisabeth Sullivan (Amy Hoover) - Pass through defense, shot from 16 yards slides under keeper
Shots: Florida 24, Mississippi State 8
Saves: Florida 3 (Taylor Burke 3), Mississippi State 13 (Skylar Rosson
13)
Team Stats
Elisabeth Sullivan
Assisted By: Amy Hoover
Pass through defense, shot from 16 yards
0:37
