Bulldogs Drop Battle In Baton Rouge

Friday, September 17

Baton Rouge, La.

7:00 p.m.

Mississippi State

2-3-2, 0-1-0

LSU

8-0-0, 1-0-0

Mississippi St.

LSU

Photo by: Mississippi State Athletics

Bulldogs Drop Battle In Baton Rouge

September 17, 2021 | Soccer

Box Score Box Score (PDF)

By: Brian Ogden, Associate Director/Communications

BATON ROUGE, La. – Mississippi State's soccer program knew it would face a tough test on a rain-soaked Friday night in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. A Bulldog roster that was missing 10 players, including four starters, took the field to face No. 6 LSU, which had won 10 straight games and carried the nation's longest active winning streak.

An own goal and a strike from distance proved to be the difference as the Tigers claimed a 2-0 victory. MSU weathered the storm well, however, with three dangerous chances in the first half and two more in the final 10 minutes of the match.

"What a way to finish the week. I couldn't be prouder of the effort the girls put in," head coach James Armstrong said. "We've faced a lot of adversity and for them to come to Baton Rouge in front of their record crowd and fight until the very last second was incredible. It's a lot that we can build on. We hit the post twice, so we created chances and I couldn't be prouder."

State (2-3-2, 0-1-0 SEC) almost opened the scoring in the fourth minute when Hannah Telleysh broke free in the box. Her shot crashed off the crossbar. Telleysh had another chance in the 26^th minute on a free kick, but her shot was blocked by the Tigers' wall.

LSU (8-0-0, 1-0-0 SEC) started to apply pressure in the 18^thminute when a corner service pinballed within State's box. One shot made it through on goal off a deflection, but Maddy Anderson reacted well for her first save of the night. In the 28^th minute, the Tigers again earned a corner, but this time a Bulldog clearance went awry and deflected into the MSU net.

In the 34^th minute, LSU's Tinaya Alexander fired a left-footed shot from outside the box that clipped the bottom of the crossbar and settled in the net for a two-goal lead. State had a chance to answer with less than five minutes left in the first half, but Marcella Cash's breakaway chance was stopped by the sliding keeper.

The teams played evenly matched soccer for most of the second half, but the Bulldogs had their chances late. With seven minutes to play, Andrea Tyrrell served in a cross that connected with Hannah Johnson, but the freshman's header clanged off the post and stayed out. Johnson then came back to make an exceptional sliding play in her own box to erase a shot attempt with four minutes to play.

Monigo Karnley had a free run down the left-hand side of the box with 21 seconds on the clock, but the goalkeeper disrupted the run with a slide tackle at the edge of the box. The referee did not award a penalty kick, however, and State could not get a shot away on the free kick from just outside the line.

"The conditions were tough, so we had a few tired legs out there, but they were pushing each other. For them to lean on each other and rally each other on, even in that last minute, is a testament to the character of this group," Armstong said.

The Bulldogs played six freshmen including first-time starter Saniya Johnson who played the full 90 minutes. Rylie Combs also made her collegiate debut. The freshmen combined to play 319 total minutes.

MSU will be off on Sunday, but return to play at Georgia on Thursday, Sept. 23. Kickoff is set for 5 p.m. CT with the game airing on SEC Network+.

For more information on the Bulldog soccer program, visit HailState.com or search for "HailStateSOC" on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook.