Bulldogs thankful to capture a berth in SEC Tournament, warmer climate

There was only one thing the Mississippi State Bulldogs were focused on in the final minutes of Thursday night's soccer match at Missouri.

Enduring the cold temperatures, the MSU players were thinking about the warmer climate of Orange Beach, Alabama, and the Southeastern Conference Tournament.

All the Bulldogs had to do was beat the Tigers to qualify for the SEC Tournament. MSU accomplished that feat with a 4-2 victory.

The Bulldogs had indeed earned their reward.

“I told them that it's only 90 minutes in the freezing cold then it's onto the beach and we'll be able to put our toes in the sand and it will be fine,” MSU senior Makayla Waldner said.

It was quite the emotional moment when Waldner and her teammates were able to clinch the SEC Tournament berth. It was something the Bulldogs had not done since 2004.

Waldner remembers stepping onto the MSU campus knowing about the SEC Tournament draught.

“I told myself that's something I want to accomplish and being a senior now, there's no better way to go out,” Waldner said.

MSU sophomore Andrea Tyrrell remembers how it felt down the stretch of the Missouri match when a win was evident. She said everyone on the sideline was jumping around and “it was such a good feeling.”

The significance of the what the Bulldogs had accomplished was beginning to sink as the clock clicked under 2 minutes.

“This whole season has been a mindset of getting there,” Tyrrell said of the SEC Tournament. “That has been our goal since the start obviously. This team has worked so hard and I'm so proud of these girls. I love these girls to death and I'd do anything for them.

“I'm so happy this team gets to go forward and show everyone what we've been working so hard for and to finally get to put it on that stage.”

Waiting for MSU in the first round of the SEC Tournament today is rival

Ole Miss. The 3:30 p.m. encounter will be a rematch of the Magnolia Cup meeting in Starkville on September 26 that resulted in a 1-1 draw.

The Bulldogs call the Rebels “a great team” and head coach James Armstrong knows it will be a tough match based on what he saw earlier.

“We have a lot of respect for the Ole Miss coaching staff,” Armstrong said. “They do a tremendous job and we're excited for the challenge.”

If MSU can advance to the second round, it will play No. 1 seed Arkansas on Tuesday.

Armstrong said the Bulldogs are going to take it one match at a time and definitely enjoy the change in climate from the last outing.

“It will be warmer than it was in Missouri that's for sure,” Armstrong said. “We are going to enjoy it, but it's a business trip. We are going to embrace that moment and spend some quality time together. We have a great group of girls that don't want the season to be over.”