Thursday, August 22
Starkville
6:00 PM
Mississippi State
vs
Alabama A&M
Bulldogs Open 25th Soccer Season on Thursday
August 21, 2019 | Soccer
by Brian Ogden, Assistant Coordinator/Communications
STARKVILLE – Mississippi State's 2019-20 athletic year begins on Thursday when the Bulldog soccer program opens its season hosting Alabama A&M at 6 p.m. CT. The match will air live on SEC Network+.
Admission is free, and the first 250 fans in attendance will receive a free t-shirt. Those that bring their cowbells and check in at the marketing table will be entered to win one of three $100 gift cards.
James Armstrong is seeking his first career victory as a head coach after taking over the program in January. A win would also mark the 100th home victory in program history and the fourth straight season starting 1-0-0.
"Obviously, the girls are really excited to open up in front of an awesome home crowd," Armstrong said. "We really appreciated the support we received for our exhibition game. Now the season starts for real. All the planning and preparation has been put in place, it's time to go out there and execute. We're looking forward to starting out fast and on the front foot and, hopefully, score some good goals."
The last battle of the Bulldogs was a record-setting day for MSU. State scored a program-record 10 goals in a shutout victory in the two teams' lone meeting back on Sept. 24, 2000. MSU also set school records in assists (18), which still stands as the SEC single-game assists record, and points (38).
State returns 65 percent of its scoring from a year ago (60 of 92 points), including sophomore Zakirah McGillivary and senior MaKayla Waldner who led the team with 17 and 14 points, respectively.
Waldner enters the season with a chance to rewrite State's record book. She is sixth all-time in both points (38) and goals (18). If she nets another goal, she will move into the top five in MSU career history. She is two game-winning goals shy of tying State's career record.
Location: Starkville, Mississippi
Time: Thursday, 6 p.m. CT
Broadcast: SEC Network+ (PxP – Anthony Craven; Analyst – Chris Nasuti)
At MSU: MSU leads 1-0-0
At AAMU: N/A
Neutral Sites: N/A
Last Meeting: MSU, 10-0 (Sept. 24, 2000 in Starkville)
For more information on the Bulldog soccer program, follow on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram by searching for "HailStateSOC."
STARKVILLE – Mississippi State's 2019-20 athletic year begins on Thursday when the Bulldog soccer program opens its season hosting Alabama A&M at 6 p.m. CT. The match will air live on SEC Network+.
Admission is free, and the first 250 fans in attendance will receive a free t-shirt. Those that bring their cowbells and check in at the marketing table will be entered to win one of three $100 gift cards.
James Armstrong is seeking his first career victory as a head coach after taking over the program in January. A win would also mark the 100th home victory in program history and the fourth straight season starting 1-0-0.
"Obviously, the girls are really excited to open up in front of an awesome home crowd," Armstrong said. "We really appreciated the support we received for our exhibition game. Now the season starts for real. All the planning and preparation has been put in place, it's time to go out there and execute. We're looking forward to starting out fast and on the front foot and, hopefully, score some good goals."
The last battle of the Bulldogs was a record-setting day for MSU. State scored a program-record 10 goals in a shutout victory in the two teams' lone meeting back on Sept. 24, 2000. MSU also set school records in assists (18), which still stands as the SEC single-game assists record, and points (38).
State returns 65 percent of its scoring from a year ago (60 of 92 points), including sophomore Zakirah McGillivary and senior MaKayla Waldner who led the team with 17 and 14 points, respectively.
Waldner enters the season with a chance to rewrite State's record book. She is sixth all-time in both points (38) and goals (18). If she nets another goal, she will move into the top five in MSU career history. She is two game-winning goals shy of tying State's career record.
Game Information
Opponent: Alabama A&MLocation: Starkville, Mississippi
Time: Thursday, 6 p.m. CT
Broadcast: SEC Network+ (PxP – Anthony Craven; Analyst – Chris Nasuti)
Series History
Overall: MSU leads 1-0-0At MSU: MSU leads 1-0-0
At AAMU: N/A
Neutral Sites: N/A
Last Meeting: MSU, 10-0 (Sept. 24, 2000 in Starkville)
Fast Facts
- Both MaKayla Waldner and AK Ward will attempt to continue their trend of scoring on their birthday weeks. Both Waldner (8/19) and Ward (8/22) have done so every year of their careers.
- MSU will once again be one of the youngest teams in the SEC. The Bulldogs enter the season with 13 freshman, which is tied for second in the league with Tennessee. Kentucky leads with 14.
- MSU is 15-8-1 all-time in season openers. That improves to 9-3-1 when State's first game of the year is in Starkville.
- After collecting seven assists in 2018, Miranda Carrasco is just three shy of cracking the top 10 in program history. She is tied for sixth in MSU single-season history and was tied for fourth among Bulldog freshmen.
- 13 of MSU's 18 opponents finished with .500 or better records last year. 10 of those collected double-digit win totals.
- Graduate transfer Gabby English has joined the program from San Diego State this season where she collected 19 career shutouts. She closed her Aztec career second all-time with 244 career saves and her shutouts ranked fourth.
- MSU went 2-0-1 in the spring with wins over Southern Miss and Florida. Combined with their two preseason matches, the Bulldogs are 3-1-1 under Armstrong in exhibition play.
For more information on the Bulldog soccer program, follow on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram by searching for "HailStateSOC."
Players Mentioned
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/ Soccer
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