Selflessly Making History
November 11, 2022 | Soccer, Joel Coleman
Bulldogs earn first-ever NCAA Tournament win behind team-first approach.
STARKVILLE – Rylie Combs had never scored a goal in her Mississippi State career as regulation neared its end in the Bulldogs' opening-round NCAA Tournament match against New Mexico State on Friday. The MSU sophomore was playing in her 27th game in Maroon and White. She'd entered the contest with 1,440 total minutes under her belt.
Then, in the blink of an eye, Combs not only had a goal. She had perhaps the biggest goal in school history.
Combs' header in the 88th minute broke a 1-1 tie and sent Mississippi State to its first NCAA Tournament win ever as the Bulldogs topped the Aggies 2-1 at the MSU Soccer Complex.
It'd be easy to dub Combs the hero. It'd have been understandable for Combs herself to relish the moment for herself.
Yet if anyone is seeking the primary reason this group of Bulldogs has now gone where no other group of soccer Dawgs has gone before, that reason can be found in the words of Combs when she was asked about her goal.
"Our team has worked so hard all year and I just felt like I owed the team one," Combs said. "I really did this for them. It wasn't for myself…The way we all celebrate, we celebrate for each other. We work for each other. It really wasn't my goal. It was a goal for our team."
There is no 'me' in the Bulldogs. There hasn't been all year. It's always been about 'we'.
Through ups and downs and injuries and everything else that's been thrown in Mississippi State's way, the Dawgs have always persevered and refused to let any obstacle get in their way. That was emphasized again over the course of Friday's 90 minutes of action.
There was Combs' goal, which came on the heels of a New Mexico State score in the 74th minute. The Aggies' goal evened things up after MSU had led for nearly 30 full minutes and it briefly silenced the huge crowd in Starkville. It seemed New Mexico State had all the momentum. However, Combs' heroics restarted the Bulldog party.
In the first half, it was Alivia Buxton who had first gotten MSU on the board. Her goal off a Haley McWhirter assist in the 45th minute – only seconds before the intermission – emphasized how State fights for as long as the clock allows.
Like Combs, Buxton took no personal satisfaction. It was all about those she was battling with.
"Like Rylie said, it was more for the team," Buxton said. "I hit it just right. It went right in the corner, and it was a really good moment for the whole team because I know we have worked so hard for this moment and it's important to all of us."
That word – 'us' – truly has made all the difference for MSU. Some teams speak of togetherness and chemistry. In 2022, Mississippi State soccer has exemplified it time and time again.
The clutch plays by Combs and Buxton that'll live on in State soccer highlight reels for years to come should always serve to underscore the foundation of this incredible unit. Mississippi State is truly, in every way, a family. It's made all the difference.
"There's no egos," MSU head coach James Armstrong said. "Nobody is selfish. Everybody is selfless. When you have that in the locker room, it makes life a lot easier for the coach and the coaching staff. This group, when you think about the adversity we've gone through, the injured players have rallied around the rest of the team and made sure they support the players that have stepped up. We've obviously had a number of players that have had to step up into bigger roles and they've done that. I think that shows the character of the group.
"Look at tonight when we scored the goals. We scored with 32 seconds left in the first half, then we score with [about] three minutes to go in the second half. That says everything about our grit and character and willingness to fight for each other."
And so, built on that love for each other, MSU now fights on. As of Friday night, it's not known against who or where it'll be.
The only certainty is that whenever the Bulldogs are on the pitch again, they'll have each other's backs as they have all year long. That'll make them incredibly tough to stop.
