Making History with Carly Mauldin
September 22, 2019 | Soccer, HailStateBEAT
by Brian Ogden, Assistant Coordinator/Communications
STARKVILLE – Carly Mauldin always knew she wanted to be a Bulldog.
She grew up attending MSU football, baseball, basketball and, of course, soccer games in Starkville. Her whole family has ties to Mississippi State. During the recruiting process, she'pretty sure the coaching staff had to be tired of her contacting them.
"I had two schools that I had to decide between," Mauldin said. "I was like, 'You know what, why not?' This is the school I have been working for. I know people at this school. My family was close enough to come to every game. From then on out, my whole family became MSU soccer's biggest fans."
The Mauldin family would become a constant presence on the west side of the grandstand for the next four years, tailgating before watching Carly start all 72 matches the Bulldogs played in her four years in the program.
She led the team with 1,663 minutes as a freshman, but it didn't hit her just how much she was a core player until her first conference game.
"That feeling of walking out on the field was crazy," Mauldin said. "That was a huge moment for me. I realized I made it. My goal was to make it to the SEC. Now, it was show time."
Conference play just meant more to Mauldin. It especially meant more minutes. The Laurel, Mississippi, native played 90 or more minutes in 38 SEC contests.
"Conference games are more intense because, to me, they have the best players that you are competing against," she said. "The SEC is a tough conference. Once you get into SEC play, you know this is my time to perform my best and to help my team out the most."
Mauldin helped transform the MSU soccer program. After winning a combined total of six games in the two years before her arrival, the Bulldogs won five matches her freshman season. Three of those came against conference opponents, State's first wins in the SEC since a Magnolia Cup victory against Ole Miss in 2012.
Mauldin sat nervously in the Crane Team Theater waiting to know if she'd get another chance to pull on a maroon and white jersey.
After their second consecutive nine-win season, State was on the cusp of the NCAA Tournament. As she watched the Selection Show, she had a moment to think back on all she had accomplished at MSU.
"We built the program up from basically nothing," she said. "We have seen our soccer team win way more games than they have in the past. It is rewarding."
The next scene was one Mauldin, and many others surrounding the MSU program will never forget. When the Bulldogs were announced as a first-round host, Mauldin leapt up from her seat and embraced Courtney Robicheaux, a fellow senior that had seen all the same highs and lows.
"My jaw just dropped," Mauldin said. "Everything we worked for finally showed, and we had a chance to prove ourselves. It is a great feeling because my team left our heart. We all said coming in freshman year we wanted to better the program, and, to me, we actually did. We saw all our hard work pay off."
An hour before hearing her name called in the starting lineup for the final time at Mississippi State, Mauldin headed outside to take a photo.
She wandered over to the space just in front of the Bulldog bench where MSU typically paints an SEC logo on the field in conference play. On that cool November day, the maroon paint job had been replaced by a bright blue NCAA logo as State prepared to host the first NCAA Tournament match in school history.
"Freshman year, I had no idea that I would start, and it just happened," she said. "Going into sophomore year, there was never a time I just knew I would start. To me, the spots are always available. I remember even before I got to college asking my dad to come outside and kick the ball as hard as he can. It's just commitment. It's not easy at all. If you think it is worth it, it's an everyday thing to you."
It was a small moment to enjoy the fruits of her labor. Mauldin closed her career seventh all-time in games started and fifth in career minutes played (6,545). She scored four goals as a senior after having just one career tally entering the year.
She has since moved to Finland to continue her career professionally. Mauldin made her debut with NJS Nurmijärven Jalkapalloseura in a 4-1 victory on May 18, 2019. She scored her first goal in the team's next game, a 2-0 victory. Now she's on the verge of another playoff berth, but it will be hard to top that final day in Starkville last November.
"I miss college soccer," she said. "I miss game day environments. To me, representing a school that you go to and where you are in classes with people is an awesome feeling."
For more information on the Bulldog soccer program, follow on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram by searching for "HailStateSOC."
STARKVILLE – Carly Mauldin always knew she wanted to be a Bulldog.
She grew up attending MSU football, baseball, basketball and, of course, soccer games in Starkville. Her whole family has ties to Mississippi State. During the recruiting process, she'pretty sure the coaching staff had to be tired of her contacting them.
"I had two schools that I had to decide between," Mauldin said. "I was like, 'You know what, why not?' This is the school I have been working for. I know people at this school. My family was close enough to come to every game. From then on out, my whole family became MSU soccer's biggest fans."
The Mauldin family would become a constant presence on the west side of the grandstand for the next four years, tailgating before watching Carly start all 72 matches the Bulldogs played in her four years in the program.
She led the team with 1,663 minutes as a freshman, but it didn't hit her just how much she was a core player until her first conference game.
"That feeling of walking out on the field was crazy," Mauldin said. "That was a huge moment for me. I realized I made it. My goal was to make it to the SEC. Now, it was show time."
Conference play just meant more to Mauldin. It especially meant more minutes. The Laurel, Mississippi, native played 90 or more minutes in 38 SEC contests.
"Conference games are more intense because, to me, they have the best players that you are competing against," she said. "The SEC is a tough conference. Once you get into SEC play, you know this is my time to perform my best and to help my team out the most."
Mauldin helped transform the MSU soccer program. After winning a combined total of six games in the two years before her arrival, the Bulldogs won five matches her freshman season. Three of those came against conference opponents, State's first wins in the SEC since a Magnolia Cup victory against Ole Miss in 2012.
Mauldin sat nervously in the Crane Team Theater waiting to know if she'd get another chance to pull on a maroon and white jersey.
After their second consecutive nine-win season, State was on the cusp of the NCAA Tournament. As she watched the Selection Show, she had a moment to think back on all she had accomplished at MSU.
"We built the program up from basically nothing," she said. "We have seen our soccer team win way more games than they have in the past. It is rewarding."
The next scene was one Mauldin, and many others surrounding the MSU program will never forget. When the Bulldogs were announced as a first-round host, Mauldin leapt up from her seat and embraced Courtney Robicheaux, a fellow senior that had seen all the same highs and lows.
"My jaw just dropped," Mauldin said. "Everything we worked for finally showed, and we had a chance to prove ourselves. It is a great feeling because my team left our heart. We all said coming in freshman year we wanted to better the program, and, to me, we actually did. We saw all our hard work pay off."
An hour before hearing her name called in the starting lineup for the final time at Mississippi State, Mauldin headed outside to take a photo.
She wandered over to the space just in front of the Bulldog bench where MSU typically paints an SEC logo on the field in conference play. On that cool November day, the maroon paint job had been replaced by a bright blue NCAA logo as State prepared to host the first NCAA Tournament match in school history.
"Freshman year, I had no idea that I would start, and it just happened," she said. "Going into sophomore year, there was never a time I just knew I would start. To me, the spots are always available. I remember even before I got to college asking my dad to come outside and kick the ball as hard as he can. It's just commitment. It's not easy at all. If you think it is worth it, it's an everyday thing to you."
It was a small moment to enjoy the fruits of her labor. Mauldin closed her career seventh all-time in games started and fifth in career minutes played (6,545). She scored four goals as a senior after having just one career tally entering the year.
She has since moved to Finland to continue her career professionally. Mauldin made her debut with NJS Nurmijärven Jalkapalloseura in a 4-1 victory on May 18, 2019. She scored her first goal in the team's next game, a 2-0 victory. Now she's on the verge of another playoff berth, but it will be hard to top that final day in Starkville last November.
"I miss college soccer," she said. "I miss game day environments. To me, representing a school that you go to and where you are in classes with people is an awesome feeling."
For more information on the Bulldog soccer program, follow on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram by searching for "HailStateSOC."
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