From Sharks’ Teeth To The NCAA Tournament
November 10, 2022 | Soccer, Joel Coleman
Bulldogs overcame roadblocks to reach college soccer’s biggest stage.
STARKVILLE – What do sharks' teeth and Mississippi State soccer have in common? A lot more than you think. And it's that similarity that has the Bulldogs hosting an NCAA Tournament game for just the second time in program history.
On Friday, State will battle New Mexico State at 3 p.m. at the MSU Soccer Field. It comes on the heels of a year in which the Dawgs notched 11 wins and earned its highest ranking ever in the United Soccer Coaches' Poll.
What none of that tells you though is just how much this group had to overcome to earn the opportunity that's now in front of them.
"I don't think anyone can really realize unless they're in our group, the amount of adversity and disappointment we've had to deal with along the way," MSU head coach James Armstrong said. "Even with big wins, there was always some kind of setback from an injury standpoint - and losing really key players."
Injuries are a part of sports. But when they happen all at once to some of your team's biggest pieces, well that's the kind of stuff that could derail a season.
Goalkeeper Maddy Anderson – who became the soccer program's career shutouts leader earlier in the season – hasn't played in over month after exiting early in an October 6 game against South Carolina.
It's been more than two months since Bulldog fifth-year defender Andrea Tyrell played. She was hurt back on September 4 in a win over Louisiana Tech. Tyrell is one of just two MSU players remaining from State's 2018 NCAA Tournament team.
The other – defender Miranda Carrasco – has had a lengthy absence as well after sustaining an injury in a victory at Texas A&M in late September.
Oh, but there's been more. Sophomore midfielder Ally Perry – who came on strong in her debut season last year, even once winning an SEC Freshman of the Week award – was hurt in late August. Junior forward Elle McCaslin has been out since September 30.
Through it all, the Dawgs never gave in. They just kept right on pushing, which brings us back to sharks' teeth and a lesson MSU players learned last summer during an offseason training regimen dubbed The Program that helped State develop leadership qualities and grow together. An instructor shared this:
"Sharks' teeth fall out all the time and just another one grows back," midfielder and captain Alyssa D'Aloise recalled. "That's the mentality we've had to have."
Teammates stepped up. Everyone bought in and refused to let anything put a barricade between the club and its goals.
"I think the special part about it is I know from being in another program [before transferring to MSU] or talking with other people, when injuries happen, it's kind of hard to get those girls to have the same mentality as the people on the field," D'Aloise said. "I think that's what's been different. We've kept everybody on the same page."
There's been unity, but there's also been a grittiness. A defiance. It's perhaps cliché to say, but for this group, it's rung true – they just have that Dawg in them.
"I think we all kind of have an underdog mentality most of the time, so we already had that grind and resilience," defender Gwen Mummert said. "So, when we had a setback, it was like, 'OK, just keep going. It's just one more setback. What's one more?' Just having that chip on our shoulder, I think we thrive with that."
The results speak for themselves. Down the stretch, the Bulldogs continued to pull off huge and even historical wins. They topped rival Ole Miss for the third straight season to keep possession of the Magnolia Cup. MSU beat Texas A&M in overtime to earn the school's first-ever Southeastern Conference Tournament victory.
All that led up to this past Monday. Armstrong and his team gathered together as a group to watch the NCAA Tournament selection show. It wasn't long until the Bulldogs were celebrating. They were not only in the field, they'd be playing at home in front of State fans that have already set single-game attendance records on two separate occasions this season. It was the realization of yearlong dedication.
"It was just an immense sense of pride," Armstrong said of seeing his team selected. "We actually trained this time last year. We gave the players the option whether they wanted to train or whether they wanted some time off. It was unanimous, 'We want to feel what it feels like to train this time of year because next year, we're going to be doing it for real.'"
They said it. Then they went out and did it.
Nothing slowed these Bulldogs down and as a result, they're not done doing special things yet. There's still plenty of bite left in these sharks' teeth.
"I've never known a group like this," Armstrong said.
