Thursday, October 4
Nashville, Tenn.
7:00 PM
Mississippi State
at
#19 Vanderbilt
The No. 25/18 Bulldogs are looking for their first 10-win season since 2001.
Soccer Travels to Vanderbilt for Top 25 Matchup
October 03, 2018 | Soccer
by Brian Ogden, Assistant Coordinator/Communications
STARKVILLE – Mississippi State will face its fourth ranked opponent in conference play on Thursday when the No. 25/18 Bulldogs match up with No. 19/15 Vanderbilt. Kickoff in Nashville, Tennessee is set for 7 p.m. CT with the game airing on SEC Network+.
Despite losing its season-opening match at No. 10/12 Florida State, 1-0, Vanderbilt has reeled off an 11-match win streak while outscoring opponents 30-6 in that span. The Commodores sit atop the SEC standings with a perfect record through four conference matches.
"They have been just really solid all over the field," head coach Tom Anagnost said. "They have good players. They're athletic. They've got scorers. They're good in the back, just very organized."
The Bulldogs are still looking for their first win as a ranked team in program history. On Tuesday, MSU earned its first ranking in the United Soccer Coaches' poll. Last week, the Bulldogs picked up their first ranking in any poll with the No. 19 spot in the TopDrawerSoccer poll.
Both teams bring in strong defensive units. MSU is fifth in the SEC in shots allowed per game (10.2) and has held opponents to just 3.45 shots on goal per game. Redshirt senior Rhylee DeCrane has tied the MSU single-season shutout record with seven already this year.
Vanderbilt has made it hard on their opponents as well, leading the league with just 7.3 shots allowed per game. The Commodores shut out five straight opponents to close the non-conference portion of their schedule.
"(Head coach) Darren (Ambrose) is a very smart guy," Anagnost said. "He keeps them in a good shape all the time. They're tough to break down. They don't give away a lot of chances, and it's going to be a very difficult game for us. We have to make some plays and be disciplined ourselves in order to get something out of the game."
With a win, the Bulldogs will have tied the program record for the quickest team to 10 wins, needing just 13 matches to do so. It would be MSU's first 10-win season since 2001 and guarantee that State finishes the regular season above .500, which would mark the second pair of consecutive winning seasons in school history (1996-97).
For more information on the Bulldog soccer program, follow on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram by searching for "HailStateSOC." You can also find all-access coverage of the program on SnapChat by searching for "HailStateSnap."
STARKVILLE – Mississippi State will face its fourth ranked opponent in conference play on Thursday when the No. 25/18 Bulldogs match up with No. 19/15 Vanderbilt. Kickoff in Nashville, Tennessee is set for 7 p.m. CT with the game airing on SEC Network+.
Despite losing its season-opening match at No. 10/12 Florida State, 1-0, Vanderbilt has reeled off an 11-match win streak while outscoring opponents 30-6 in that span. The Commodores sit atop the SEC standings with a perfect record through four conference matches.
"They have been just really solid all over the field," head coach Tom Anagnost said. "They have good players. They're athletic. They've got scorers. They're good in the back, just very organized."
The Bulldogs are still looking for their first win as a ranked team in program history. On Tuesday, MSU earned its first ranking in the United Soccer Coaches' poll. Last week, the Bulldogs picked up their first ranking in any poll with the No. 19 spot in the TopDrawerSoccer poll.
Both teams bring in strong defensive units. MSU is fifth in the SEC in shots allowed per game (10.2) and has held opponents to just 3.45 shots on goal per game. Redshirt senior Rhylee DeCrane has tied the MSU single-season shutout record with seven already this year.
Vanderbilt has made it hard on their opponents as well, leading the league with just 7.3 shots allowed per game. The Commodores shut out five straight opponents to close the non-conference portion of their schedule.
"(Head coach) Darren (Ambrose) is a very smart guy," Anagnost said. "He keeps them in a good shape all the time. They're tough to break down. They don't give away a lot of chances, and it's going to be a very difficult game for us. We have to make some plays and be disciplined ourselves in order to get something out of the game."
With a win, the Bulldogs will have tied the program record for the quickest team to 10 wins, needing just 13 matches to do so. It would be MSU's first 10-win season since 2001 and guarantee that State finishes the regular season above .500, which would mark the second pair of consecutive winning seasons in school history (1996-97).
For more information on the Bulldog soccer program, follow on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram by searching for "HailStateSOC." You can also find all-access coverage of the program on SnapChat by searching for "HailStateSnap."
Players Mentioned
GK
/ SoccerSOCCER | Lipscomb Postgame Press Conference
Saturday, November 15
SOCCER | Nick Zimmerman and Players Press Conference vs. Lipscomb
Saturday, November 15
SOCCER | Nick Zimmerman and Zoe Main Media Session
Saturday, November 15
SOCCER | Nick Zimmerman Media Session
Monday, November 10