Finishing Strong: Early Challenges Prepared Treena Ferguson

by Brian Ogden, Assistant Coordinator/Communications

STARKVILLE – On a hot, August afternoon in 2004, Treena Ferguson needed direction.

The decision to come to Mississippi State to pursue college soccer had been a simple one. The Bulldogs offered a level of play that fit her skills and boasted one of the top veterinary schools in the country. Seeing her academic and athletic needs met on a beautiful campus in a warm climate was all she needed to leave Sarnia, Ontario, for Starkville.

But the heat would be just the start of a series of adjustments that would define her Bulldog career.

In her first year, Ferguson would see the field for just 26 minutes, but by the start of her senior campaign, she was already among MSU's top 10 all-time in points per game and goals per game.

"When I first got to Mississippi State, I was physically fit enough and I had good skills, but I lacked the strategic knowledge of positioning, how to make the runs," she said. "I was always used to kind of just going where I wanted on the field, and obviously I had to learn to play a position and play it properly so I could help my teammates."

While she may not have been on the field, Ferguson learned from watching high-level teams in action early in her career. The 2004 team played the top-ranked team in the country when the Bulldogs met defending national champion North Carolina in a non-conference tournament. State would go on to play three additional ranked opponents in conference play.

"I think the fact that we played some really difficult teams early in the year helped prepare us," Ferguson said. "We just had really great team chemistry and a lot of our more experience players were really passionate. That kind of carried through to making it to the SEC Tournament."

Following that season, Ferguson got to work. She put in extra hours on the practice field, dedicating her time to learning the finer points of the strategic side of the game. She worked on her endurance and physical fitness and put in time in the weight room, something she'd never done before college.

Along with her physical conditioning, she learned how to be more mentally prepared. Leaving home had helped build a mental toughness that came along with being so far from family and friends. She recognized just how much focus would have to go into each match when you're playing a top team each week instead of once or twice a year.

"I just had this attitude come midway through my sophomore year where it was like if I'm not playing no one's playing," she said. "I had this mentality where I was going to go out and crush everyone until I was the only person left standing if I had to. That's how badly I wanted to play."

The dedication and adjustments paid off. She made her first starts as a sophomore and saw her career high in minutes jump from nine as a freshman to 61 when State played No. 11 Florida. By her junior year, it finally clicked.

She played every match as a junior, leading the team in points, goals and shots while setting a then-Bulldog record with goals in four consecutive games. She also earned SEC Offensive Player of the Week honors and was recognized by three additional publications after scoring twice, including the game-winner in the 85^th minute, to help upset No. 8 Tennessee.

As a senior, she again led the squad in points, goals and shots. At the time, her 17 points and seven goals were a senior class record, and only Elisabeth Sullivan (2013) has surpassed her. She closed her career with three multi-goal games, which trails only Sullivan in State's record book, and 33 career points, which ranks ninth all-time, after totaling just two points entering her junior season.

Adding to her impressive senior season, Ferguson later learned that she had played the entire year on a broken ankle after a hairline fracture didn't show up on an X-ray.

Following graduation, she earned two additional degrees from MSU including her doctorate. She studies waterfowl and has published multiple articles. Ferguson married into the military and has moved around the country, but soccer is still a part of her life. She coaches and still plays semi-professionally, most-recently with the San Antonio Athenians of United Women's Soccer where she was the captain. She credits her athletic experience at MSU for preparing her for life after college.

"It prepared me for the real world in the sense that everything's hard work," she said. "Nothing's given to you. You have to work for everything Soccer experience has helped me with coaching and making me a more well-rounded person in general. It gave me a chance to learn how to lead and take that with me for the rest of my life."

For more information on the Bulldog soccer program, follow on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram by searching for "HailStateSOC."

Mississippi State University Athletics

Finishing Strong: Early Challenges Prepared Treena Ferguson

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