Soccer Opens Spring Slate With Saturday Doubleheader
March 04, 2016 | Soccer
STARKVILLE, Miss. – Aaron Gordon and his Mississippi State soccer team returns to the pitch this Saturday, as the Bulldogs host Southern Miss and Louisiana Monroe for a pair of exhibitions at the MSU Soccer Field.
The first exhibition is slated for noon versus Southern Miss, while the match against Louisiana Monroe will begin at 3:15 p.m. CT.
“We are looking forward to playing an opponent other than ourselves this Saturday,” coach Gordon said. “Playing against Southern Miss and ULM will give us an opportunity to do that and see a bunch of other players. We've been training for two months and the team is excited to finally get on the field and play.”
The format of Saturday's games will feature two 30-minute halves, with 10-minute intermissions. USM and ULM will face off at approximately 1:30 p.m. between MSU's matches. Admission to all home soccer exhibitions is free to the public.
MSU is coming off one of the best seasons in recent history, after turning in a 5-10-3 record on the season. The three SEC wins were the most since 2011, while the Bulldogs just missed the cut for the conference tournament, which would have been the first appearance since 2004 for the Bulldogs.
The 2016 roster will look very similar to last season's squad, with only one senior lost to graduation. Saturday will be the first chance for fans to get a glimpse of MSU's two mid-year enrollees, freshmen Ciara Donnelly and Kaleigh Fowler.
State returns 19 players who made at least one start from last season's squad. Points (10) and assists (4) leader Mallory Eubanks will headline the returnees, followed by co-goal (4) leaders Kennadi Carbin and Kiley Martens.
The Bulldogs are very familiar with Saturday's first opponent Southern Miss, with their last contest resulting in a scoreless tie last year in Starkville. 2012 was the first and only time the Bulldogs have faced ULM, with MSU taking the match 3-0 in Starkville.
After this Saturday's doubleheader, the Maroon and White will hit the road for the next three exhibitions before capping the spring season at home on April 15 against Samford.
For more information on the Mississippi State soccer program, follow “HailStateSOC” on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.
