Thursday, September 24
Knoxville, Tenn.
7 p.m.
Mississippi State
at
#9 Tennessee
Bulldogs Begin Road Trip With Top-10 Tennessee
September 23, 2026 | Soccer
STARKVILLE โ A pair of the SEC's highest-scoring offenses will go head-to-head on Thursday night when Mississippi State travels to No. 9/6 Tennessee. The match will be televised nationally on ESPNU beginning at 7 p.m. CT, and the 8 p.m. local time start will be State's latest kickoff of the season.
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The teams are tied for fifth in the SEC standings on four points each, but the Lady Vols have yet to play a home conference match. Defensively, Tennessee is allowing the second-fewest goals per match in the conference.
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Once again, Tennessee will meet the Bulldogs as a top-10 team, but MSU has won four of its last five top-10 meetings over the past two seasons. In fact, MSU has downed a top-10 Lady Vols team twice in program history and the Bulldogs have won or tied in all but one meeting since 2019.
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Hailey Johnson continues to pace the Mississippi State offense, leading the team in goals (5), assists (3) and points (13). Kati Anne Shepherd (11 points) and Laila Murillo (10 points) are close behind her. Murillo also has five goals, and Shepherd has scored four times. Shepherd and Chiara Tappe are tied with Johnson on three assists.
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About Last Season: State handed then-No. 1 Tennessee its first loss of the 2025 campaign in Starkville last year with a pair of goals in the final 20 minutes, including the winner with 64 seconds to play.
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Dangerous Dawgs: Mississippi State has won four of its last five meetings with top-10 teams and claimed three top-10 wins last year, including revenge for the only top-10 loss it has had in that span, defeating Arkansas in the SEC Tournament rematch.
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How About Hailey: Hailey Johnson leads the team in goals, assists and points and is top-10 in the SEC in goals per game and points per game after transferring from Lipscomb. She led the Bisons in scoring last year as well.
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Head Coach: Joe Kirt | Record at TENN: 47-24-15 (5th Year) | Career Record: 47-24-15 (5th Year)
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The teams are tied for fifth in the SEC standings on four points each, but the Lady Vols have yet to play a home conference match. Defensively, Tennessee is allowing the second-fewest goals per match in the conference.
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Once again, Tennessee will meet the Bulldogs as a top-10 team, but MSU has won four of its last five top-10 meetings over the past two seasons. In fact, MSU has downed a top-10 Lady Vols team twice in program history and the Bulldogs have won or tied in all but one meeting since 2019.
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Hailey Johnson continues to pace the Mississippi State offense, leading the team in goals (5), assists (3) and points (13). Kati Anne Shepherd (11 points) and Laila Murillo (10 points) are close behind her. Murillo also has five goals, and Shepherd has scored four times. Shepherd and Chiara Tappe are tied with Johnson on three assists.
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Kicking Off
Record vs. Ranked: Kevin O'Brien coached against ranked teams eight times at Lipscomb, but is still seeking his first career ranked win. He has one draw in those meetings at then-No. 10 Auburn in 2017 and played then-No. 6 Tennessee in the 2021 NCAA Tournament in Knoxville.ย
About Last Season: State handed then-No. 1 Tennessee its first loss of the 2025 campaign in Starkville last year with a pair of goals in the final 20 minutes, including the winner with 64 seconds to play.
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Dangerous Dawgs: Mississippi State has won four of its last five meetings with top-10 teams and claimed three top-10 wins last year, including revenge for the only top-10 loss it has had in that span, defeating Arkansas in the SEC Tournament rematch.
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How About Hailey: Hailey Johnson leads the team in goals, assists and points and is top-10 in the SEC in goals per game and points per game after transferring from Lipscomb. She led the Bisons in scoring last year as well.
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About Tennessee (6-0-2, 1-0-1 SEC)
Rankings: IWSOC โ 9 | TopDrawerSoccer โ 6Head Coach: Joe Kirt | Record at TENN: 47-24-15 (5th Year) | Career Record: 47-24-15 (5th Year)
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Series History
Overall: 4-17-3 | Current Streak: Won 2 | Home: 2-8-3 | Away: 1-9-0 | Neutral: 1-0-0 | Last Meeting: Sept. 12, 2025, MSU 3-2ย
Notables
For the second year in a row, Tennessee will be unbeaten when it meets Mississippi State. The Lady Vols and Bulldogs are tied in the SEC standings with a win and a draw each in league play. Tennessee has scored first in every match this year, and State has done so in all but two. Both teams have often scored early with the Lady Vols scoring inside of 30 minutes eight times, and the Bulldogs doing so seven times. Combined, the two teams have only trailed for 144:14 of the 1,530 minutes played this season. Thursday night is Tennessee's SEC home opener.ย
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Next Up
The Bulldogs will not return home on Thursday night. Instead on Friday morning, the team drives across the state line to Kentucky to prepare for a noon kickoff on Sunday on SEC Network+.ย
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Follow the Bulldogs
For more information on the Bulldog soccer program, follow onย X,ย Facebookย andย Instagramย by searching "HailStateSOC."ย
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Players Mentioned
Friday, September 18
Friday, September 18
Sunday, September 06
Thursday, September 03