Sunday, September 6
Starkville
1 p.m.
Mississippi State
6-1-0, 0-0-0
0
vs
3
Charlotte
4-2-0, 0-0-0
| Team | 1 | 2 | Final F |
|---|---|---|---|
| Charlotte | 2 | 1 | 3 |
| Mississippi St. | 0 | 0 | 0 |
State Drops First Match Of 2026
September 06, 2026 | Soccer
STARKVILLE – Mississippi State dropped its first contest of the season on Sunday afternoon as the Bulldogs lost, 3-0, to Charlotte.
The 49ers (4-2-0) opened the scoring almost immediately, capitalizing on an errant back pass for a breakaway goal just 66 seconds into the match. Charlotte's Annabelle Walker scored her second goal of the day in one-on-one fashion in the 23rd minute to give the Niners a two-goal lead at the half.
"It's never great when you spot a team a goal, so the way we started the game and conceding in that first minute on just an errant back pass, it caught us, and I think it rattled us," head coach Kevin O'Brien said. "Thankfully, we settled in and started playing pretty well. Soccer's tricky because against the run of play, they got number two, and you're scratching your head as a coach. We weren't particularly bad, but now they've converted twice and, you're wondering, 'Okay, what do we need to do to kind of answer the call and to respond to it?' First off, I want to give credit to Charlotte. I thought they battled. They're physical. They made it really, really hard. They were up for the occasion, and credit to them for competing the way they did."
In the 64th minute, Charlotte was awarded a penalty kick that was overturned upon video review, but the 49ers scored less than a minute later from the top left corner of the box.
State (6-1-0) outshot Charlotte, 17-5, and forced the visiting keeper to make seven saves, but the Bulldogs were shut out for the first time in 2026.
Laila Murillo led the way for MSU, putting two of four shots on frame. Abbey Dalton, Katie Ann Shepherd, Rebeka Vega, Reganne Morris and Elsa Johnson also all put a shot on target.
MSU's best scoring chance came in the 78th minute when Johnson broke free for a 50-yard run, dribbled past the second-to-last defender and passed off to Morris, but Morris' shot was pushed just outside the post by the goalkeeper.
"The good news is we're learning lessons going into the conference play," O'Brien added. Not the way we wanted to, ultimately, but that's the fact of competitive athletics."
The Bulldogs open SEC play on Friday, Sept. 11 at 7 p.m. CT on the road against Ole Miss. State will look to extend the longest winning streak in Magnolia Cup history with a conference-opening win. The first match in the rivalry between two first-year head coaches since the first meeting of the teams in 1995 will air on SEC Network+.
For more information on the Bulldog soccer program, follow on X, Facebook and Instagram by searching "HailStateSOC."
The 49ers (4-2-0) opened the scoring almost immediately, capitalizing on an errant back pass for a breakaway goal just 66 seconds into the match. Charlotte's Annabelle Walker scored her second goal of the day in one-on-one fashion in the 23rd minute to give the Niners a two-goal lead at the half.
"It's never great when you spot a team a goal, so the way we started the game and conceding in that first minute on just an errant back pass, it caught us, and I think it rattled us," head coach Kevin O'Brien said. "Thankfully, we settled in and started playing pretty well. Soccer's tricky because against the run of play, they got number two, and you're scratching your head as a coach. We weren't particularly bad, but now they've converted twice and, you're wondering, 'Okay, what do we need to do to kind of answer the call and to respond to it?' First off, I want to give credit to Charlotte. I thought they battled. They're physical. They made it really, really hard. They were up for the occasion, and credit to them for competing the way they did."
In the 64th minute, Charlotte was awarded a penalty kick that was overturned upon video review, but the 49ers scored less than a minute later from the top left corner of the box.
State (6-1-0) outshot Charlotte, 17-5, and forced the visiting keeper to make seven saves, but the Bulldogs were shut out for the first time in 2026.
Laila Murillo led the way for MSU, putting two of four shots on frame. Abbey Dalton, Katie Ann Shepherd, Rebeka Vega, Reganne Morris and Elsa Johnson also all put a shot on target.
MSU's best scoring chance came in the 78th minute when Johnson broke free for a 50-yard run, dribbled past the second-to-last defender and passed off to Morris, but Morris' shot was pushed just outside the post by the goalkeeper.
"The good news is we're learning lessons going into the conference play," O'Brien added. Not the way we wanted to, ultimately, but that's the fact of competitive athletics."
The Bulldogs open SEC play on Friday, Sept. 11 at 7 p.m. CT on the road against Ole Miss. State will look to extend the longest winning streak in Magnolia Cup history with a conference-opening win. The first match in the rivalry between two first-year head coaches since the first meeting of the teams in 1995 will air on SEC Network+.
For more information on the Bulldog soccer program, follow on X, Facebook and Instagram by searching "HailStateSOC."
Players Mentioned
M/F
/ Soccer
F
/ Soccer
F
/ Soccer
M
/ Soccer
D/F
/ SoccerTeam Stats
CLT
MSU
Goals
3
0
Shots
5
17
Shots on Goal
4
7
Saves
7
1
Corners
0
7
Fouls
15
14
Scoring Plays
Annabelle Walker (2)
GOAL by CLT Walker, Annabelle.
01:06
Annabelle Walker (2)
Assisted By: Allie Metcalf , Holly Robins
GOAL by CLT Walker, Annabelle Assist by Metcalf, Allie and Robins, Holly.
22:46
Penelope Rich (1)
GOAL by CLT Rich, Penelope.
64:59
Game Leaders
Shots
4
SOG
2
Goals
0
Assists
0
Shots
3
SOG
1
Goals
0
Assists
0
def
Shots
2
SOG
1
Goals
0
Assists
0
mid
Shots
2
SOG
1
Goals
0
Assists
0
Sunday, September 06
Thursday, September 03
Sunday, August 30
Sunday, August 30