Thursday, October 28
Starkville
7:00 p.m.
Mississippi State
vs
#16 Ole Miss
Photo by: Mississippi State Athletics
Bulldogs Gear Up for Magnolia Cup Showdown
October 27, 2021 | Soccer
STARKVILLE – Mississippi State looks to close out its regular season Thursday night against in-state rival, No. 16 Ole Miss, in a battle for the Magnolia Cup. Kickoff is at 7 p.m. CT, and the match will air nationally on the SEC Network.
"The girls are excited," head coach James Armstrong said, "and it's our job as a staff this week to make sure we peak at the right time. Yes, it's our biggest rival and everything's on the line, but we still have to be sensible and play our game – we can't get ourselves out of a rhythm."
In order for the Bulldogs (4-8-3, 2-6-1 SEC) to reach their third consecutive SEC Tournament, they will need to win the Magnolia Cup for the second straight year and see both Texas A&M and LSU lose on Thursday night. Meanwhile, the Rebels (11-3-3, 6-2-1 SEC) have already secured their spot at Orange Beach and are currently the No. 3 seed.
"Ole Miss is a good team, and we respect them," Armstrong said. "They're ranked No. 13 in the nation right now, but all of those stats go out of the window when it comes to a rivalry game."
State enters the contest after splitting last week's pair of games. Maddy Anderson's 10 saves against the Razorbacks are tied for the most saves by a Bulldog in SEC play since 2015 when Tonya De Souza did so against Vanderbilt. On the other side of the pitch, Ole Miss arrives to Starkville after playing to a 2-2 draw against No. 19 Auburn – its first draw in conference play this season.
Thursday night's match will also be Senior Night for the Bulldog soccer program. The Maroon and White will be honoring Ky Burroughs, Miranda Carrasco, Hailey Farrington-Bentil, Esmeralda Figueroa, Niah Johnson, Monigo Karnley as well as student assistant coach Peyton York and two managers.
"We couldn't be prouder of the impact they've made," Armstrong said. "We challenge each and every person to leave the [Mississippi State soccer] jersey in a better place than they found it, and they've clearly done that. They've had a huge impact on our program, and we'll miss them, but they'll always be welcomed back."
For more information on the Bulldog soccer program, visit HailState.com or search for "HailStateSOC" on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook.
"The girls are excited," head coach James Armstrong said, "and it's our job as a staff this week to make sure we peak at the right time. Yes, it's our biggest rival and everything's on the line, but we still have to be sensible and play our game – we can't get ourselves out of a rhythm."
In order for the Bulldogs (4-8-3, 2-6-1 SEC) to reach their third consecutive SEC Tournament, they will need to win the Magnolia Cup for the second straight year and see both Texas A&M and LSU lose on Thursday night. Meanwhile, the Rebels (11-3-3, 6-2-1 SEC) have already secured their spot at Orange Beach and are currently the No. 3 seed.
"Ole Miss is a good team, and we respect them," Armstrong said. "They're ranked No. 13 in the nation right now, but all of those stats go out of the window when it comes to a rivalry game."
State enters the contest after splitting last week's pair of games. Maddy Anderson's 10 saves against the Razorbacks are tied for the most saves by a Bulldog in SEC play since 2015 when Tonya De Souza did so against Vanderbilt. On the other side of the pitch, Ole Miss arrives to Starkville after playing to a 2-2 draw against No. 19 Auburn – its first draw in conference play this season.
Thursday night's match will also be Senior Night for the Bulldog soccer program. The Maroon and White will be honoring Ky Burroughs, Miranda Carrasco, Hailey Farrington-Bentil, Esmeralda Figueroa, Niah Johnson, Monigo Karnley as well as student assistant coach Peyton York and two managers.
"We couldn't be prouder of the impact they've made," Armstrong said. "We challenge each and every person to leave the [Mississippi State soccer] jersey in a better place than they found it, and they've clearly done that. They've had a huge impact on our program, and we'll miss them, but they'll always be welcomed back."
For more information on the Bulldog soccer program, visit HailState.com or search for "HailStateSOC" on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook.
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