Soccer Slate Set

STARKVILLE – The Mississippi State soccer program and head coach James Armstrong announced the schedule for the 2021 season on Tuesday.

"We are very excited about the challenge that this schedule will provide our team," said Armstrong. "It has a mixture of conference champions and teams who made the NCAA Tournament."

All home matches at the MSU Soccer Complex are free admission to the public.

The Bulldogs will start the season off with two exhibition matches, the first at home against UAB on August 10, and the second on the road at South Alabama on August 14.

The non-conference slate contains eight opponents, with five of those matches taking place at the MSU Soccer Complex. In order, State will face Lipscomb, Louisiana, Arizona State, Southeast Missouri, Minnesota, Iowa, Southern Miss, and Belmont. The match against Southeast Missouri will end the month of August for the Bulldogs, taking place on August 29. State will hit the road for the Lipscomb, Minnesota, and Iowa matches.

State will kick off against Southeastern Conference opponents on the road in 2021, facing LSU first in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. There will be a total of five conference games held in Starkville for the Bulldogs, while five are played on the road. Coming to StarkVegas is Florida, Kentucky, Auburn, Texas A&M, and Ole Miss. The rivalry game for the Magnolia Cup against the Rebels will close the regular season out for the Bulldogs at home.

The SEC Tournament will once again take place in Orange Beach, Alabama, from November 1 through 7.

The Who's Who of Non-Conference
The standouts who Mississippi State will face in the first portion of the season are Arizona State and Iowa, who both made the NCAA Tournament. The Bulldogs have never played either of the programs. Minnesota will also be a new opponent for MSU.

Big 10 champion Iowa, Lipscomb, Louisiana, Southeast Missouri and Southern Miss each made it to their respective conference tournaments last season.

The Breakdown

There will be 10 matches played on the MSU Soccer Field, 11 when including an exhibition.
Eight matches, nine with the exhibition, will be on the road.
Eight games make up the non-conference slate.
Mississippi State has never faced three of the teams on their schedule.
Two upcoming opponents made the NCAA Tournament.
MSU only faced one of the non-conference opponents last season: Louisiana.

For more information on the Bulldog soccer program, search "HailStateSOC" on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook.

Mississippi State University Athletics

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