Making A Statement

STARKVILLE – Sometimes it can be easy to falter when the spotlight shines brightly on your program and all eyes are on you.

However, with the largest attendance in program history comprised of 2,617 members of the Maroon and White faithful exemplifying what it means to be Bulldogs as they rang their cowbells with pride, Mississippi State soccer put on a show for its fans and the entire nation to see Friday night.

State defeated No. 1 Arkansas 1-0 to secure the program's first win over a top-ranked club. MSU recorded its 10th shutout of the season and fourth consecutive shutout in conference play.

"It was definitely a physical game, but we had the benefit of having 2,617 Bulldogs behind us," head coach James Armstrong said. "The crowd was incredible [and] the energy they created was infectious. Our girls talked about it at halftime, [how] they could feel our fans pushing them toward victory. The girls fought really hard, but this is a credit to everyone that came out here tonight and we're definitely happy with the performance."

The back-and-forth battle throughout the contest displayed the grittiness of two determined squads that were giving it their all to bring home an all-important conference victory.

With 25 minutes remaining in the first half, the Bulldogs were awarded a corner kick as an Arkansas player trickled the ball out of bounds to the right of the goal. Little did the Razorbacks know, one of the SEC's top-scoring midfielders – Ally Perry – would slice an Olimpico goal to put State ahead of the nation's top team mere seconds later.

"It was incredible getting rewarded for everything we've worked for the past year," Perry said. "[The work] in the summer and spring built up to this and it's a very rewarding feeling getting this success."

As the ball rolled into the net off the corner shot from Perry in the West End, the plethora of MSU students and fans erupted. The cheers and clamoring of cowbells ringing throughout the pitch shook the stands. Everybody on the field knew the magnitude of what a Bulldog victory would bring to the program.

"It's a blessing to have a crowd like that," graduate goalkeeper Maddy Anderson said. "To have this small town of Starkville supporting us so much and making the effort to come out on their Friday night to support us through the entire game… we couldn't ask for anything else. We're so, so thankful that they did that and we're thankful that everyone's bringing their cowbells. We [just] really appreciate it."

MSU's success on the pitch and the foundation of a winning culture has become infectious. The efforts of players like Anderson, Macey Hodge, Riley Combs and so many others have directly contributed to helping construct the special moments like Friday night's win over the Razorbacks. Highlights and results are being noticed around the country, and teams are becoming aware of the fight the Bulldogs bring to the pitch in every match.

Out to the best start in the program's history, Armstrong's squad has secured 10 wins on the season with the only loss coming to No. 4 Wake Forest early in the season. Just like anything in sports, you can never let your guard down, however.

There is no doubting the importance of Friday's win, but to put it simply, it is on to the next one for Armstrong and the multitude of talented athletes on State's roster.

"For us, we talked about not being too high [and] never being too low," Armstrong said. "Tonight, we will celebrate, but tomorrow we have to turn the page. We play Georgia on Thursday, but this is good momentum. We talked about it being a test in terms of the style of play that we want to play and they came through with flying colors tonight. We'll build on this momentum, but we won't let ourselves get too far ahead."

Mississippi State University Athletics

Players Mentioned

Maddy Anderson

Macey Hodge

Ally Perry

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