Mississippi State
0-3-0
Florida Gulf Coast
2-0-1
Soccer Drops Decision to Florida Gulf Coast 2-0
August 28, 2015 | Soccer
TAMPA, Fla. – On a muggy and humid afternoon the Mississippi State soccer team displayed a tremendous effort as the Bulldogs took Atlantic Sun favorite Florida Gulf Coast to the limit, but ultimately fell 2-0.
MSU (0-3-0) will face off against host South Florida (1-0-0) at 9:30 a.m. on Sunday.
“We have to have an assertive behavior in every aspect of our game and I think we did that today,” Coach Aaron Gordon said. “Our best play came after we were scored on early, we were able to adjust and make some changes that immediately gave us some chances. Mallory Eubanks missed on some really close opportunities on a few scrambles in front of the box, so all in all the assertive behavior that we are trying to instill in our team is showing.”
FGCU's Tabby Tindell became the biggest factor in the game, scoring both Eagle goals on Friday. Tindell's first goal came early in the 16th minute after her shot skipped past a diving Tanya de Souza.
In the 74th minute, MSU had a chance to even the score after Mallory Eubanks was awarded a penalty kick, but FGCU's Brittany Brown stopped her shot in front of the box.
Minutes later the Eagles cashed in their penalty kick opportunity, after Tindell was fouled inside the box. The junior connected for her second goal of the game in the 78th minute.
FGCU led in shots (13-7) and shots on goal (8-4), with MSU leading on corners (6-2).
The Bulldogs will have a short period to get ready for USF, with the early 9:30 a.m. match coming quickly on Sunday.
“We have to recover and rest with the quick turnaround,” Gordon said. “We will be able to get a lot of rest being at the hotel tomorrow. As a team, we are eager to get back out on the pitch and show what we're capable of.”
For the Bulls, the 2015 squad returns nine starters from a club that went 13-7-2 last season. Olivia Chance scored nine goals and added six assists for USF in 2014 to lead the team with 24 points.
For more information on the Mississippi State soccer program, follow “HailStateSOC” on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook.
Team Stats
TINDELL, Tabitha (2)
Assisted By: SPECKMAIER, Paulina
GOAL by FGCU TINDELL, Tabitha (FIRST GOAL), Assist by SPECKMAIER, Paulina, goal number 2 for season.
16:56
TINDELL, Tabitha (3)
FGCU TINDELL, Tabitha PENALTY KICK GOAL, goal number 3 for season.
78:55
