‘This Is For Everybody At Mississippi State’
October 28, 2024 | Soccer
Bulldogs relish SEC soccer title.
STARKVILLE – On Sunday night at approximately 10:30 p.m. CT, the Mississippi State soccer program's plane landed at the George M. Bryan Airport after defeating Texas A&M 2-0 in Bryan-College Station, Texas.
Little did they know, the Maroon and White faithful was awaiting the aircraft with cowbells and vuvuzelas as it approached the landing strip. As soon as the plane came to a halt and the stairs dropped down, the crowd of State fans rushed over to the Bulldogs in celebration of the program's first-ever SEC regular season championship.
"It's phenomenal. It's just a testament to why I love Starkville," graduate goalkeeper Maddy Anderson said. "It's such a big community. We're so thankful for all the fans who supported us over the last five years, who stuck with us, even though it might have not been the greatest [at times]. To be able to achieve something for them means everything."
Just six years ago, head coach James Armstrong laid out the blueprint to bring a winning soccer program to Mississippi alongside his best friend and associate head coach Nick Zimmerman. They wanted to build something special at State.
But they did not just come to Starkville for the beautiful campus and the town that made them feel at home. Armstrong and Zimmerman wanted to win championships.
That mission started by bringing in some of the most talented soccer players in the country. Macey Hodge, Anderson, Riley Combs, Alexis Gutierrez, Hannah Johnson and so many more helped lay a foundation and add to it. These athletes knew what it would take to wrap titles in Maroon and White.
After years of hard work on and off the pitch, the ultimate dream has been accomplished. This moment was a result of these incredible athletes and people battling through all adversity faced and staying the course.
Now, they can call themselves champions.
"This is a testament of hard work," Hodge said. "Hard work can truly get you anywhere [and] you can accomplish anything you want to if you have the right mentality and are willing to roll up your sleeves and do what you need to do to get there. My testimony is you can do anything if you're willing to work for it."
The efforts of junior midfielder Ally Perry and graduate forward Elle McCaslin secured State's two goals in Sunday night's victory over the Aggies. State's gritty defensive play also shined again in the efforts.
MSU's defense has allowed just one goal in conference play and only three total goals in 16 matches this season. The Bulldogs have won 12 consecutive matches and the team's 15 victories this season place the 2024 club at the top in the program's history.
When the buzzer sounded and the longtime dream became a reality, Armstrong was showered with the most refreshing Gatorade bath of his coaching career.
"We didn't play a good first half at all and it was a really defining moment in the locker room, where we were talking to them and kind of said we've worked too hard to not come together and give it this one final push," Armstrong said. "We could tell that we were going to get a response out of them in the second half. I thought they were brilliant. We went deeper than we have in a long time in a big game, and I thought everybody did an unbelievable job."
Armstrong did not know what type of crowd would be awaiting his team as the plane landed on the airstrip. He even warned the team that many people might not be there because of how late it was on a Sunday night in Starkville, as everyone was getting ready for work and class the next day.
But when Armstrong stepped off the plane to the orchestra of clang ringing in the air, a lump formed in his throat and tears welled in his eyes as the realization began to sink in. The aspiration to build something special at MSU had come to fruition.
"I wish all of these people could see the look on the girls faces when we landed, because none of us expected that," Armstrong said. "The fans have been unbelievable. It's a Sunday night at 10:30 p.m. [and] the fact that anybody's here is so rewarding. It was incredible and the girls deserve it, but the fans deserve it too. They've been with us all season long. They've helped us get through some really tough times and games. This is for everybody at Mississippi State."
The fans have played a huge role by packing the pitch and displaying their support all over MSU's campus and beyond, but none of this could have been accomplished without the undeniable efforts of the players and the coaching staff. Their hard work and dedication to the Maroon and White kit rang in this era of championship-winning soccer at State.
But for State's roster, the group is more than just a soccer club. It's a family bonded by the passion and love for soccer at MSU.
"I love this team, and I wouldn't want to do it with anybody else," Anderson said. "I am always thankful every night, before I go to bed, that I have these amazing people to do my job with, and it's not even a job because I have so much fun doing it. Being able to compete with them, I couldn't ask for anything better."
