Soccer Flexes Muscles In Exhibition Win Over Memphis

Wednesday, August 10

Starkville

6:00 PM

Mississippi State

0-0-0

Memphis (Exh.)

0-0-0

OT 2

Memphis

MSU

Soccer Flexes Muscles In Exhibition Win Over Memphis

August 10, 2016 | Soccer

Box Score Box Score (PDF)Box (PDF)Box Score Photo Gallery http://msstate_ftp.sidearmsports.com/stats/soc/2016/MS0810.htm

STARKVILLE, Miss. – Fans were treated to a lot of goals and even more rain on Wednesday night, as the Mississippi State soccer team turned in a convincing performance against Memphis in exhibition action, winning 3-0.

Three Bulldogs recorded goals for the Maroon and White, as sophomore Carly Mauldin, freshman McKenna de Graaf and junior Payton Gruenewald all put the ball in the back of the net. Senior Ari Holmes and freshman Emily Malone added assists on set plays for the first two scores, as MSU's offensive attack was too much for the Tigers.

"I like our attitude and the effort we gave tonight," head coach Aaron Gordon said. "We wanted to improve our attacking mentality and prove we can go toe-to-to with people and I think tonight we did that. The win was great and I'm looking forward to what this team will do going forward."

The defense also stepped up big for Gordon on Wednesday, as the Bulldogs held Memphis to a total of six shots while keeping the Tigers off the board. Goalies Tanya de Souza, Courtney Tompkins and Rhylee DeCrane all saw action in the friendly as the trio combined to shutout Memphis.

Wednesday's exhibition was the first of two for the Bulldogs this fall, as MSU travels to Iowa State on Saturday for another friendly before officially kicking off the 2016 season in Charleston, S.C., against College of Charleston on Friday, Aug. 19.

Goal Scoring Rundown:
MSU – Carly Mauldin (21:20) The Bulldogs jumped out to an early lead, after senior Ari Holmes found Mauldin on the left wing as she scored with the header to open up the scoring affair.

MSU – McKenna de Graaf (31:37) State's second goal of the night came on a freshman-to-freshman connection as McKenna de Graaf scored off the Emily Malone corner to push the Bulldog lead to 2-0.

MSU – Payton Gruenewald (58:50) With rain in her face and a monsoon settling in at the MSU Soccer Field, junior Payton Gruenewald nailed a strike from 18 yards out to give the Bulldogs the commanding 3-0 lead.

Additional Notes:

MSU had 23 players record minutes during Wednesday's exhibition, as five freshmen also saw action
Bulldog goalies faced five shots from the Tigers, allowing no goals over the 90 minutes of action
Despite only having five shots, MSU had four on target with three finding the back of the net.
Freshmen MaKayla Waldner and Johanna Hamblett received the starting nod from Aaron Gordon

Head Coach Aaron Gordon Quote:
"I was excited about the three goals and loved the attitude we had," Gordon said. "We had five freshmen get significant minutes against a collegiate opponent and that's experience that you cannot replicate."

Payton Gruenewald Quote:
"The team was fighting really hard and defending really well and the ball got loose," Grunewald said about her goal during the heavy rain. "I saw the opportunity and ran through it. I had a step and a slight window and shot it. I was lucky enough that it went in."

For more information on the Mississippi State soccer program, follow "HailStateSOC" on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.