Tie keeps Bulldogs in hunt for SEC Tournament spot
It may not have been a victory for the Mississippi State soccer team on Sunday afternoon, but a tie was enough to get closer to landing a berth in the Southeastern Conference Tournament.
A loss would have put a damper on senior day for the Bulldogs because it probably meant they would be eliminated from SEC Tournament contention.
However with the 1-1 draw against the Tennessee Volunteers after two overtimes,
MSU picked up a valuable point to keep hopes alive. The Bulldogs (7-7-3, 2-4-3) were helped by Auburn’s win over Alabama and were scoreboard watching with the LSU at Ole Miss match Sunday night.
MSU head coach James Armstrong said his team just couldn’t cash in on its chances against Tennessee.
“I couldn’t be prouder of the girls’ efforts again,” Armstrong said. “I thought we were the better team. Once we established a rhythm, I thought it was just a matter of when we were going to score. Once again, we didn’t quite get the bounce of the ball, but we created lots of chances. We had 22 shots today and 32 shots the other day. We’re just waiting for our luck to change a little bit in front of the goal. I’m really proud of the girls’ efforts though, they deserve more from today than what they got.”
After Onyl Echegini put the Bulldogs out in front with a goal with 37:44 remaining in regulation, MA Vignola tied it up for the Vols with a goal off a penalty kick about 11 minutes later.
MSU nearly had a couple of scores in overtime but couldn’t convert. The Bulldogs
outshot Tennessee for the match 9-2.
Prior to the match, State recognized its four seniors with Gabby English, Hayden Oswalt, Makayla Waldner and Hailey Zerbel.
“Four unbelievable individuals, all different in their own way, but all have made a massive impact on the program on and off the field,” Armstrong said. “I wish we could’ve given them the win they deserved, but we’ll move on and get ready for the next game.”
The Bulldogs finish up the regular season at Missouri on Thursday.