Mississippi State
0-3-0
UC Irvine
4-0-0
MSU's Valiant Effort Falls Short In 2-0 Setback to No. 13 Anteaters
August 28, 2011 | Soccer
RIVERSIDE, Calif. - Mississippi State took the fight to 13th-ranked UC Irvine on a scorching hot Sunday afternoon at the UCR Soccer Stadium, but two second-half goals propelled the Anteaters to a 2-0 victory in the final game of the UC Riverside Women's Soccer Invitational.
The Bulldogs head back home 0-3-0 on the season, while UC Irvine improved to 4-0-0 on the year.
State managed 10 shots in the match, with three of those attempts coming on target. UC Irvine fired 32 times, but put only 13 between the posts.
Bulldog junior goalkeeper Skylar Rosson made 11 saves in the match, one shy of her career high. Junior Jasmine Simmons paced the Dawgs with three shots.
"I was proud of the way we came out and fought the 13th-ranked team in the nation today," MSU head coach Neil Macdonald said. "Our team never backed down, but unfortunately we couldn't get the result to go our way. We have faced two good teams this weekend, and we have seen improvement in our team. This was a good learning opportunity for our squad. There are a lot of positives to take from the weekend that will help prepare our squad for the rest of the season, especially SEC play."
After both teams played to a scoreless stalemate in the opening 45 minutes, the Anteaters scored the winner in the 53rd minute on a Natalia Ledezma shot.
Rosson made one of her stellar saves at the 28:45 mark of the second half to keep the UCI advantage at 1-0. Alexis Rafael turned and fired a shot from six yards away, but the Bulldogs' goalkeeper managed to snag the shot.
Freshman Amy Hoover missed a chance for the equalizer with 28 minutes left in the match. Tarah Henderson delivered a ball through the Irvine defensive line, but Hoover's shot was stopped by a diving Jennifer Randazzo.
Rosson turned away another UC Irvine opportunity when she made a diving stop of Cami Privett's 20-yard effort with 14 minutes left.
After Morganne Grimes' free kick sailed high with eight minutes left, Privett put UC Irvine in front 2-0 when she dribbled down the left end line and punched a shot into the right side of the net.
The Anteaters' two scoring strikes came after neither team was able to capitalize in the opening half.
State's first opportunity came five minutes after the opening whistle. Sophomore Elisabeth Sullivan earned a free kick from 25 yards out, but Randazzo made a diving stop on Simmons' shot to the left post.
State staved off a UCI scoring threat with 35 minutes left in the opening half. A loose ball found its way to UC Irvine's Alexis Rafael. Her shot was blocked right to Mady Solow, but Rosson came out for the challenge and managed to deflect the shot wide of target.
With 32:30 left, Sullivan broke through the defense and fired a ball from the left wing at 20 yards that Randazzo managed to turn away.
Rosson made another spectacular save with 22 minutes left in the first half. Off a corner, the Anteaters found Jenna Pellegrino on the left side of goal, but Rosson managed to corral her attempt.
MSU's Simmons made a move to the left with 17:30 left, but her shot directed at the right post sailed wide of target.
The Bulldogs wrap a five-match, season-opening road trip next weekend. MSU heads to Jackson State at 4 p.m. Friday before venturing to Hattiesburg to meet Southern Mississippi in a 1 p.m. kickoff on Sunday.
Mississippi State (0-3-0) vs. UC Irvine (4-0-0)
Goals by period 1 2 Tot
-------------------------------
Mississippi State... 0 0 - 0
UC Irvine........... 0 2 - 2
SCORING SUMMARY:
1. 52:48 UCI Ledezma, Natalia (Christopher, Judy) - 20 midfield pass to 3 dribbles through defenders scores from 18 ft out
2. 80:24 UCI Privett, Cami (unassisted) - 8 dribbles down left side into the box for the goal
Shots: Mississippi State 10, UC Irvine 32
Saves: Mississippi State 11 (Skylar Rosson 11), UC Irvine 3 (Randazzo,
Jennifer 3)
Team Stats
Ledezma, Natalia
Assisted By: Christopher, Judy
20 midfield pass to 3 dribbles through d
52:48
Privett, Cami
8 dribbles down left side into the box f
80:24
