Photo by: Mississippi State Athletics
Bulldog Faithful Helps State Protect The Pitch
August 25, 2023 | Soccer
MSU fans aid in carrying Dawgs to a win in the home opener.
STARKVILLE – After a successful trip out West, Mississippi State returned to an electric Starkville atmosphere in the first regular season home game of the year Thursday night.
State wasted no time in getting the Bulldog faithful on their feet as Maggie Wadsworth scored a goal in the first four minutes of the match to get the cowbells ringing in the stands and the west end at the MSU Soccer Field.
"It was so much fun," Wadsworth said. "The cowbells are probably one of my favorite parts [of playing at home]. Every time we get a corner, hearing them ringing, I love it. It makes the game so much more exciting, and we know that people are here to support us and it makes us play so much better."
In the 39th minute, the MSU students in the west end erupted when Kennedy White scored State's second goal of the match. The fans gave an encore performance with a barrage of cowbells and fight song chants when Aitana Martinez-Montoya scored her second goal of the year in the 49th minute to put State up three.
The west end tradition is a testament to the culture that head coach James Armstrong and his team are building. Students and members of the MSU fraternities gather at the west end of the pitch to cheer on the team, which creates an exciting environment for the Bulldogs.
"It's awesome," White said. "We had our exhibition game at home and there were already a ton of people [in the west end]. We're super excited for the rest of [our] home games and we hope that everyone comes out and supports us again."
MSU shattered the single-game attendance record twice last season. The first record was snapped in the 3-2 victory over LSU when 1,483 fans showed up. That mark was later broken against South Carolina with an attendance of 1,613.
For Armstrong and his team, the uniqueness of the exhilarating environment at the MSU Soccer Field makes a tremendous difference.
"It's something that we talk about all the time – the crowd makes a massive difference," Armstrong said. "The unique thing about [being] here in Starkville at this soccer field is that you've got the community, you've got the parents, you've got rowdy fans, you've got the student body down there [in the west end]. For those [students] to come out [on Thursday night], hopefully, they enjoyed it because we'd love for them and more of their friends to come out next time."
The next match for the Bulldogs is also at home, on Sunday at 6:30 p.m. against FIU. That match will be streaming live via SEC Network+.
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State wasted no time in getting the Bulldog faithful on their feet as Maggie Wadsworth scored a goal in the first four minutes of the match to get the cowbells ringing in the stands and the west end at the MSU Soccer Field.
"It was so much fun," Wadsworth said. "The cowbells are probably one of my favorite parts [of playing at home]. Every time we get a corner, hearing them ringing, I love it. It makes the game so much more exciting, and we know that people are here to support us and it makes us play so much better."
In the 39th minute, the MSU students in the west end erupted when Kennedy White scored State's second goal of the match. The fans gave an encore performance with a barrage of cowbells and fight song chants when Aitana Martinez-Montoya scored her second goal of the year in the 49th minute to put State up three.
The west end tradition is a testament to the culture that head coach James Armstrong and his team are building. Students and members of the MSU fraternities gather at the west end of the pitch to cheer on the team, which creates an exciting environment for the Bulldogs.
"It's awesome," White said. "We had our exhibition game at home and there were already a ton of people [in the west end]. We're super excited for the rest of [our] home games and we hope that everyone comes out and supports us again."
MSU shattered the single-game attendance record twice last season. The first record was snapped in the 3-2 victory over LSU when 1,483 fans showed up. That mark was later broken against South Carolina with an attendance of 1,613.
For Armstrong and his team, the uniqueness of the exhilarating environment at the MSU Soccer Field makes a tremendous difference.
"It's something that we talk about all the time – the crowd makes a massive difference," Armstrong said. "The unique thing about [being] here in Starkville at this soccer field is that you've got the community, you've got the parents, you've got rowdy fans, you've got the student body down there [in the west end]. For those [students] to come out [on Thursday night], hopefully, they enjoyed it because we'd love for them and more of their friends to come out next time."
The next match for the Bulldogs is also at home, on Sunday at 6:30 p.m. against FIU. That match will be streaming live via SEC Network+.
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