Thursday, November 2
Pensacola, Fla.
5:00 p.m.
Mississippi State
vs
#10 Arkansas
Photo by: Mississippi State Athletics
Mississippi State Soccer Set to Make SEC Tournament Semifinal Debut Versus Top-Seeded Arkansas
November 01, 2023 | Soccer
Pensacola, Fla. – Mississippi State soccer will pen a new chapter into their program record books when they take the pitch on Thursday evening in Pensacola. The Bulldog's matchup with Arkansas will notch the first time that State has appeared in an SEC Tournament semifinal as State finds itself just one game from Championship Sunday.
Thursday's matchup comes just one week removed from their last encounter, a 1-0 decision for Arkansas in Fayetteville. In the regular season finale, the entire Bulldog defense was able to frustrate the Hogs throughout the match. State became just the fifth team to hold the Hogs scoreless in the first half this season and just the second team to do so in Fayetteville. With just five minutes remaining in the contest, Bea Franklin found the back of the net on an Emilee Hauser service for the game winner, claiming the outright SEC Championship for Arkansas. State registered eight shots throughout the first meeting with an impressive 62.5% of them being on frame, forcing Phoebe Carver to make five key saves throughout the matchup. Maggie Wadsworth continued her attacking ways as she registered three shots with two of them being on goal.
In the quarterfinals, the Dawgs came out of the halftime locker room down 1-0 and looking for the equalizer. In the 55th minute, Bama was called for a handball in the box, resulting in a penalty kick for State. Aitana Martinez-Montoya looked to take advantage as she lined it up. Martinez-Montoya stepped up as the whistle blew, firing the ball into the back of the net, knotting up the match at 1-1. After 110' of play, the match was settled with penalty kicks with State besting Alabama 2-0 after Maddy Anderson stood tall in net, thwarting the Crimson Tide chances aside. Anderson secured her season high in saves with eight. Within the 110 minutes in between the pipes, Bama registered 20 shots, but could not send one past Anderson after their opening goal.
In the quarterfinals for Arkansas, the Razorbacks dominated Auburn and took control of possession right from the start. Forward Morgan White broke the deadlock with her seventh goal of the season as she headed in a cross from freshman Kennedy Ball. Just six minutes later, SEC Midfielder of the Year Bea Franklin extended the Razorback's lead with another trademark header goal, this time capitalizing on a corner kick from defender Emilee Hauser. Notably, ten of Franklin's 14 goals as a Razorback have been headers.
The Razorbacks continued their dominance in the second half. Graduate forward Anna Podojil reached a significant milestone, notching her 50th career goal in the 62nd minute after receiving a pass from sophomore Makenzie Malham at the penalty spot. In the dying moments of the match, freshman Kate Carter became the 17th Razorback to score this season as they advanced to the semifinals with a 4-0 win.
No. 4 seed Mississippi State and No. 1 Arkansas will kick off at 5 PM CT in Pensacola with the SEC Network broadcasting the match to a national audience.
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For the most up-to-date information on the Bulldogs, follow MSU women's soccer on X, like them on Facebook, and join them on Instagram by searching for "HailStateSoc."
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Thursday's matchup comes just one week removed from their last encounter, a 1-0 decision for Arkansas in Fayetteville. In the regular season finale, the entire Bulldog defense was able to frustrate the Hogs throughout the match. State became just the fifth team to hold the Hogs scoreless in the first half this season and just the second team to do so in Fayetteville. With just five minutes remaining in the contest, Bea Franklin found the back of the net on an Emilee Hauser service for the game winner, claiming the outright SEC Championship for Arkansas. State registered eight shots throughout the first meeting with an impressive 62.5% of them being on frame, forcing Phoebe Carver to make five key saves throughout the matchup. Maggie Wadsworth continued her attacking ways as she registered three shots with two of them being on goal.
In the quarterfinals, the Dawgs came out of the halftime locker room down 1-0 and looking for the equalizer. In the 55th minute, Bama was called for a handball in the box, resulting in a penalty kick for State. Aitana Martinez-Montoya looked to take advantage as she lined it up. Martinez-Montoya stepped up as the whistle blew, firing the ball into the back of the net, knotting up the match at 1-1. After 110' of play, the match was settled with penalty kicks with State besting Alabama 2-0 after Maddy Anderson stood tall in net, thwarting the Crimson Tide chances aside. Anderson secured her season high in saves with eight. Within the 110 minutes in between the pipes, Bama registered 20 shots, but could not send one past Anderson after their opening goal.
In the quarterfinals for Arkansas, the Razorbacks dominated Auburn and took control of possession right from the start. Forward Morgan White broke the deadlock with her seventh goal of the season as she headed in a cross from freshman Kennedy Ball. Just six minutes later, SEC Midfielder of the Year Bea Franklin extended the Razorback's lead with another trademark header goal, this time capitalizing on a corner kick from defender Emilee Hauser. Notably, ten of Franklin's 14 goals as a Razorback have been headers.
The Razorbacks continued their dominance in the second half. Graduate forward Anna Podojil reached a significant milestone, notching her 50th career goal in the 62nd minute after receiving a pass from sophomore Makenzie Malham at the penalty spot. In the dying moments of the match, freshman Kate Carter became the 17th Razorback to score this season as they advanced to the semifinals with a 4-0 win.
No. 4 seed Mississippi State and No. 1 Arkansas will kick off at 5 PM CT in Pensacola with the SEC Network broadcasting the match to a national audience.
Â
For the most up-to-date information on the Bulldogs, follow MSU women's soccer on X, like them on Facebook, and join them on Instagram by searching for "HailStateSoc."
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– HailState.com –
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