Magnolia Cup Returns To Starkville Thursday

STARKVILLE – The Magnolia Cup is in play once more as No. 13 Mississippi State hosts Ole Miss at the MSU Soccer Field on Thursday night. Kickoff is scheduled for 6 p.m. CT, and the match will air on SEC Network+.

The Bulldogs have won five straight meetings, the longest winning streak by either school in the rivalry's history. Along with the winning streak in the series, State will once again test its regular-season home unbeaten streak that has extended to 18 matches and its 14-match conference play unbeaten streak, both of which date back to 2023.

While MSU has won every meeting since 2020, the games have been tightly contested. The first four matches of the current streak were all decided by one goal until State won, 2-0, last year. The Rebels have not scored a goal against MSU since 2021.

State has won three consecutive SEC weekly honors with Kennedy Husbands the latest recipient of an award. She was tabbed the league's Defensive Player of the Week for her efforts in the shutout win at Missouri last week.

Thursday night is State's annual Pups at the Pitch night with fans encouraged to bring their dogs to the game. The first 250 dogs through the gates can pick up a free MSU soccer bandana. Fans can also take photos with the Magnolia Cup during the first half of Thursday night's game.

Kicking Off

Keep The Streak: The Bulldogs have not lost a regular-season match at home since Sept. 21, 2023, going 15-0-3 in that span.

Never Too Late: State boasts an SEC-leading 11 goals in the 70th minute or later, including five tying or a game-winning goals. Six of those have come in the 80th or later.

Wommack A Winner: Sarah Wommack is the first Bulldog keeper to begin her MSU career undefeated through her first four SEC games since at least 2003. She is 3-0-1.

Scoring Streak: Ally Perry has 14 points over her last five games with a goal in every SEC match. She leads the SEC with 3.00 points per game in SEC play leads the conference. She is riding the sixth four-game goal streak in school history.

Fast Start: Nick Zimmerman's eight wins lead all first-year head coaches nationally. With another win, he will match the program record for wins by a first-year head coach.

About Ole Miss (4-4-1, 0-3-1 SEC)

Rankings: United Soccer Coaches – NR | TopDrawerSoccer – NR
Head Coach: Molly Rouse | Record at OM: 16-24-5 (3rd Year) | Career Record: 35-53-10 (6th Year)

Series History

Notables

The Magnolia Cup was created in 2003, and State and Ole Miss have played in all but one season in their programs' history. The Bulldogs' current five-game winning streak is the longest in the history of the rivalry; however, Ole Miss has the distinction of retaining the Cup for the longest stretch, keeping possession for seven years thanks to a draw and the teams not playing in 2015. The Rebels have lost three straight SEC matches. They have scored just three goals in league matches this year while allowing 13, and they are in the midst of a five-match stretch of ranked opponents.

Next Up

Mississippi State will hit the road on Sunday to play at No. 7 Arkansas, their third top-10 opponent of the season. The two teams enter Thursday night's SEC games atop the league standings with the Razorbacks in first place with 12 points and the Bulldogs tied for second sitting on 10 points. Kickoff for what could be a season-defining match is set for 6 p.m. on SEC Network+.

Follow the Bulldogs

For more information on the Bulldog soccer program, follow on X, Facebook and Instagram by searching "HailStateSOC."

Magnolia Cup Returns To Starkville Thursday

Next Event

Players Mentioned

Kennedy Husbands

Ally Perry

Sarah Wommack

Mississippi State University Athletics

Magnolia Cup Returns To Starkville Thursday

Next Event

Players Mentioned

Kennedy Husbands

Ally Perry

Sarah Wommack

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