Photo by: Mississippi State Athletics
Soccer Recaps 2020-21 Season
April 22, 2021 | Soccer
STARKVILLE – The Mississippi State soccer team dealt with the uncertainty and pressure of the 2020 season with poise and passion.
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After completing an SEC-only fall schedule made up of eight matches and one SEC Tournament bout, the Bulldogs pushed through and saw themselves shine during the second half of the campaign. State produced a four-game, four-win spring schedule, starting on February 28.
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Not only was it four wins, but the Dawgs' defense fashioned a three-straight shutout streak and conceded only one goal in the first match. Against both Louisiana and Troy, the Bulldogs kept their opponents' shot count to a minimum, allowing the Ragin' Cajuns just two shots with one on goal and the Trojans only five overall.Â
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In those four matches, State scored 11 goals with seven different goal-scorers, three being career firsts. Those firsts were for Marcella Cash, Madison Cotta and Hannah Telleysh. The other four came from Onyi Echegini, Hailey Farrington-Bentil, Monigo Karnley and Andrea Tyrrell.
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The attack-minded Bulldogs saw those 11 goals come with 15 assists from 11 individual players. Cash, Cotta, Echegini, Farrington-Bentil, Karnley and Telleysh each lent a foot, joined by Macey Hodge, Birna Jóhannsdóttir, Niah Johnson, KK Pavatt and Olivia Simpson.
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Every available player on the squad saw action in all four matches. In addition to the 3,948 minutes they collectively saw in the fall, the freshman class played an additional 1,583 in the spring, totaling 5,531 minutes on the pitch this season.
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Overall, the Bulldogs finished with a winning season, the second under head coach James Armstrong's leadership.
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In his second year, Armstrong led State to its second-straight SEC Tournament appearance and just its fourth all time. His Bulldogs brought home the Magnolia Cup for the first time since 2012 and won in Oxford for the first time since 2001. They recorded their first-ever home win over the LSU Tigers and had five freshmen starting in all but four matches.Â
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Jóhannsdóttir led the team in assists for the season, producing four overall and had 0.29 assists per game in the seven conference matches played. She finished the season ranked ninth in the conference for assists per game. The Icelander helped her squad have 1.69 assists per game, which ranked as the No. 5 most in a single season in program history.
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The Bulldogs were led by Echegini for goals and shots, with the London native producing five goals on 36 shots and 15 shots on goal. Karnley had three game-winning goals out of her four overall. Echegini had two goals against Louisiana, and Karnley had two assists in the Columbus State match. Both players finished the season with 11 points.
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The goalkeeping squad made strides under volunteer assistant Kat Stratton and student assistant Peyton York. Freshman netminder Maddy Anderson started in all but one match, finishing the season with 44 saves facing 129 shots. In conference play, she had a .761 save percentage. She and Hannah Pimentel combined for a total save percentage of .750.
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Anderson was named SEC Defensive Player of the Week in the fall, while Karnley earned the Forward Player of the Week honor after the last week of the Dawgs' spring play. In addition, Anderson and Echegini were named to TopDrawerSoccer's Team of the Week on separate occasions, with Anderson also being named honorable mention.
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Not to be outdone, Anderson was named to the SEC All-Freshman Team after the fall semester.
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The Bulldogs made just as big of a bark off the field with a record-number of student-athletes being named to the Fall SEC Honor Roll with 23.
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State's soccer program is on the up-and-up in every facet. The gritty squad continues momentum with the 10 ladies that will join the team in the fall.
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After completing an SEC-only fall schedule made up of eight matches and one SEC Tournament bout, the Bulldogs pushed through and saw themselves shine during the second half of the campaign. State produced a four-game, four-win spring schedule, starting on February 28.
Â
Not only was it four wins, but the Dawgs' defense fashioned a three-straight shutout streak and conceded only one goal in the first match. Against both Louisiana and Troy, the Bulldogs kept their opponents' shot count to a minimum, allowing the Ragin' Cajuns just two shots with one on goal and the Trojans only five overall.Â
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In those four matches, State scored 11 goals with seven different goal-scorers, three being career firsts. Those firsts were for Marcella Cash, Madison Cotta and Hannah Telleysh. The other four came from Onyi Echegini, Hailey Farrington-Bentil, Monigo Karnley and Andrea Tyrrell.
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The attack-minded Bulldogs saw those 11 goals come with 15 assists from 11 individual players. Cash, Cotta, Echegini, Farrington-Bentil, Karnley and Telleysh each lent a foot, joined by Macey Hodge, Birna Jóhannsdóttir, Niah Johnson, KK Pavatt and Olivia Simpson.
Â
Every available player on the squad saw action in all four matches. In addition to the 3,948 minutes they collectively saw in the fall, the freshman class played an additional 1,583 in the spring, totaling 5,531 minutes on the pitch this season.
Â
Overall, the Bulldogs finished with a winning season, the second under head coach James Armstrong's leadership.
Â
In his second year, Armstrong led State to its second-straight SEC Tournament appearance and just its fourth all time. His Bulldogs brought home the Magnolia Cup for the first time since 2012 and won in Oxford for the first time since 2001. They recorded their first-ever home win over the LSU Tigers and had five freshmen starting in all but four matches.Â
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Jóhannsdóttir led the team in assists for the season, producing four overall and had 0.29 assists per game in the seven conference matches played. She finished the season ranked ninth in the conference for assists per game. The Icelander helped her squad have 1.69 assists per game, which ranked as the No. 5 most in a single season in program history.
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The Bulldogs were led by Echegini for goals and shots, with the London native producing five goals on 36 shots and 15 shots on goal. Karnley had three game-winning goals out of her four overall. Echegini had two goals against Louisiana, and Karnley had two assists in the Columbus State match. Both players finished the season with 11 points.
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The goalkeeping squad made strides under volunteer assistant Kat Stratton and student assistant Peyton York. Freshman netminder Maddy Anderson started in all but one match, finishing the season with 44 saves facing 129 shots. In conference play, she had a .761 save percentage. She and Hannah Pimentel combined for a total save percentage of .750.
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Anderson was named SEC Defensive Player of the Week in the fall, while Karnley earned the Forward Player of the Week honor after the last week of the Dawgs' spring play. In addition, Anderson and Echegini were named to TopDrawerSoccer's Team of the Week on separate occasions, with Anderson also being named honorable mention.
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Not to be outdone, Anderson was named to the SEC All-Freshman Team after the fall semester.
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The Bulldogs made just as big of a bark off the field with a record-number of student-athletes being named to the Fall SEC Honor Roll with 23.
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State's soccer program is on the up-and-up in every facet. The gritty squad continues momentum with the 10 ladies that will join the team in the fall.
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Players Mentioned
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F
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M/F
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F
/ Soccer
F
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M
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M
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M
/ Soccer
F
/ Soccer
F/M
/ Soccer
GK
/ Soccer
D
/ Soccer
M
/ Soccer
M/F
/ Soccer
GK
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