Thursday, October 24
Baton Rouge, La.
7:00 PM
Mississippi State
at
LSU
Photo by: Mississippi State Athletics
Bulldogs Begin Postseason Push Thursday at LSU
October 23, 2019 | Soccer
by Brian Ogden, Assistant Coordinator/Communications
BATON ROUGE, La. – Mississippi State goes into the final three matches of the regular season with the opportunity to earn its first SEC Tournament berth since 2001. The push for the postseason will begin on Thursday night when the Bulldogs meet LSU in Baton Rouge at 7 p.m. CT on SEC Network+.
The Tigers are the first of three opponents that are tied with or below the Bulldogs in the SEC standings. The top 10 teams earn a trip to Orange Beach, Alabama, for the conference tournament beginning in November.
"LSU is a better team than their record shows," head coach James Armstrong said. "They're very athletic. They're still fighting for one another, and they're going to want to put on a good performance for the home crowd. They're a tough team to prepare for because they've played so many different formations, so the most important priority for us is ourselves and how we can be better."
State has not defeated LSU since 2001, but this year seems to be the perfect time to topple the Tigers. LSU enters the match with a 2-11-2 record and has been shutout in 10 matches this year. The Tigers are the only SEC team remaining without at least one win in the league. MSU also snapped another Tiger losing streak earlier this year with its first win against Auburn since 2011.
The last meeting between the two teams saw State jump out to an early lead in the regular-season finale. A win would have propelled the Bulldogs into the conference tournament, but MSU saw its goal in the eighth minute erased in the 23rd and 33rd minutes. The Tigers went on to win the SEC Tournament title and earn the league's automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament.
Thursday's match should give the Bulldog offense a chance to get back on track. After being outscored 7-1 in their last two matches, State's forwards will meet the only team in the SEC averaging more than 2.0 goals allowed per game. The Tigers have allowed six more goals than any other SEC team while scoring an SEC-low six all year.
MSU continues to chase the 10-point mark, and a win would give the Bulldogs their first such season since 2015. It would also mark the first time since 2015 that MSU has won two road games in league play and mark State's fourth win away from Starkville this season, which would rank third in program history.
Location: Baton Rouge, La.
Time: Thursday, 7 p.m. CT
Broadcast: SEC Network+ (PxP – Lyn Rollins; Analyst – Sara Pollock Dickson)
At MSU: 0-11-1
At LSU: 2-9-1
Neutral Sites: 0-0-0
Last Meeting: Oct. 25, 2018 (LSU 2 at MSU 1)
For more information on the Bulldog soccer program, follow on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram by searching for "HailStateSOC."
BATON ROUGE, La. – Mississippi State goes into the final three matches of the regular season with the opportunity to earn its first SEC Tournament berth since 2001. The push for the postseason will begin on Thursday night when the Bulldogs meet LSU in Baton Rouge at 7 p.m. CT on SEC Network+.
The Tigers are the first of three opponents that are tied with or below the Bulldogs in the SEC standings. The top 10 teams earn a trip to Orange Beach, Alabama, for the conference tournament beginning in November.
"LSU is a better team than their record shows," head coach James Armstrong said. "They're very athletic. They're still fighting for one another, and they're going to want to put on a good performance for the home crowd. They're a tough team to prepare for because they've played so many different formations, so the most important priority for us is ourselves and how we can be better."
State has not defeated LSU since 2001, but this year seems to be the perfect time to topple the Tigers. LSU enters the match with a 2-11-2 record and has been shutout in 10 matches this year. The Tigers are the only SEC team remaining without at least one win in the league. MSU also snapped another Tiger losing streak earlier this year with its first win against Auburn since 2011.
The last meeting between the two teams saw State jump out to an early lead in the regular-season finale. A win would have propelled the Bulldogs into the conference tournament, but MSU saw its goal in the eighth minute erased in the 23rd and 33rd minutes. The Tigers went on to win the SEC Tournament title and earn the league's automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament.
Thursday's match should give the Bulldog offense a chance to get back on track. After being outscored 7-1 in their last two matches, State's forwards will meet the only team in the SEC averaging more than 2.0 goals allowed per game. The Tigers have allowed six more goals than any other SEC team while scoring an SEC-low six all year.
MSU continues to chase the 10-point mark, and a win would give the Bulldogs their first such season since 2015. It would also mark the first time since 2015 that MSU has won two road games in league play and mark State's fourth win away from Starkville this season, which would rank third in program history.
Game Information
Opponent: LSULocation: Baton Rouge, La.
Time: Thursday, 7 p.m. CT
Broadcast: SEC Network+ (PxP – Lyn Rollins; Analyst – Sara Pollock Dickson)
Series History
Overall: 2-20-0At MSU: 0-11-1
At LSU: 2-9-1
Neutral Sites: 0-0-0
Last Meeting: Oct. 25, 2018 (LSU 2 at MSU 1)
Fast Facts
- State has won every game played within 24 hours of one of the Bulldogs' birthdays while outscoring opponents 9-3 in matches against Alabama A&M, Kentucky and Auburn. Goalkeeper Katie Moore's birthday is Thursday.
- MSU has held eight opponents below their season average in shots this year. The Bulldogs are holding opponents to 12.3 shots per game this year, just off last year's school-record pace of 11.5.
- MaKayla Waldner leads the team in points (17), goals (8), shots (43) and shots on goal (18). She has four game-winning goals this year, which is tied for second in the SEC and tied for 19th nationally.
- Waldner is just a goal shy of matching her sophomore campaign with 19 points. That would be tied for 10th in MSU single-season history.
- State ranks 23rd in schedule strength this year, aided by matches against four ranked teams, including three top-10 squads. The Bulldogs rank fourth in the SEC behind Florida (4th), Alabama (8th) and LSU (12th).
- MSU is currently tied for the final spot in the SEC Tournament, but would lose the tie-breaker. State's final three matches are all against teams tied with or below it in the standings.
For more information on the Bulldog soccer program, follow on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram by searching for "HailStateSOC."
Players Mentioned
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