STARKVILLE — Mallory Eubanks is ready to shine.
Following an offseason in which she immersed herself in soccer and was called up to be a member of the United States’ Under-19 Women’s National Team, Eubanks wants to give back some of what she learned to her Mississippi State women’s soccer teammates to help the Bulldogs kick the season off in style.
Eubanks will get that chance today when the team gathers for its first meeting of the season. On Wednesday, MSU will hold its first training session as it continues to prepare for an exhibition game against Memphis at 6 p.m. Wednesday, Aug. 10, at the MSU Soccer Field. MSU will play College of Charleston in its season opener at 6:30 p.m. Friday, Aug. 19, in Charleston, South Carolina.
The start of training camp will give Eubanks a chance to re-connect with her MSU teammates and to share the excitement she experienced in June.
“It was really cool to be able to play soccer all summer at such a high level and to be able to compete and to be able to go to Chula Vista, California, but also to New Zealand and get the experience of the international games.
“I have been in the cycle for the training camps, and New Zealand was just like the finishing product for that cycle.
“It was such a high level that it kept my mind right and focused and really prepared me to come back to State and be ready for this season.”
Eubanks, who also has been a part of the U.S. U-20 Women’s National Team’s cycle, earned one start and played in 117 minutes in three friendlies against New Zealand. The 5-foot-4 forward from Lexington, Kentucky, started and had an assist in a 4-4 tie against New Zealand’s U-20 Women’s National Team. She earned one of the 20 spots on the team after participating in training camp in March. She was one of 11 college players on the team and the only one from a Southeastern Conference school.
“The experience I got and playing at a high level opens your eyes to the level of soccer you can play,” Eubanks said. “It gives you confidence to come back here and play with your college team, so I am really excited to bring back all I have learned throughout my experience this summer to our team and to encourage my teammates.”
Eubanks had three goals and four assists for a team-high 10 points last season. She started in all 18 games as MSU finished 5-10-3 and 3-6-2 in the Southeastern Conference. Eubanks had 40 shots in her sophomore season, with a team-high 14 on target, en route to being named the Offensive MVP by her teammates.
As a freshman, Eubanks started in all 18 games (one goal, six points), led the team with 1,563 minutes, and was named to the SEC All-Freshman team. She participated in the U.S. U-19 National Team Camp in the spring.
Eubanks played two seasons for Bo Lankster at Tates Creek High School in Lexington, Kentucky, after she moved back to the United States from Geneva, Switzerland. She scored 37 goals and had 22 assists in 26 games to earn the National Soccer Coaches Association of America (NSCAA) Kentucky High School Player of the Year honors. She also was named Miss Kentucky Soccer, first-team All-State, District 43 MVP, Region 11 MVP, Tates Creek MVP, and Tates Creek Most Offensive Player in 2013. She also was named a NSCAA All-American and was invited to the inaugural girls high school All-Star Game. She played club soccer for Brad Turpin’s Lexington FC, leading the squad to the Kentucky state title five times in six seasons.
MSU coach Aaron Gordon is equally excited to have Eubanks back. Last season, he said an injury left her at less than 100 percent to start the season. He said it wasn’t until the middle of the season that Eubanks found her footing and emerged as someone who was playing on the “edge” like he wanted. He saw signs of Eubanks’ maturation in 2015 and believes a healthy, confident, and motivated Eubanks will generate a lot of positive returns for the Bulldogs.
“The light bulb kind of came on last season,” Gordon said. “To all of her credit, she really took to heart what the coaching staff said and got after it and started to play with a new sense of purpose and never looked back. She led by example, whether that meant doing the dirty work, high pressing defenders, taking players on, or leading in fitness.”
Gordon knew Eubanks would respond to being challenged by the coaching staff because he believed in her. He said he understands Eubanks is an “ultra-competitive” person, but he said she is one who listens, asks questions, and is accountable for her actions. He said those are the traits you want your team captain to have so you can set a standard and continue to help a program climb the ladder in the SEC.
“She doesn’t take criticism to a personal level,” Gordon said. “She listens and gives feedback and works toward the things that need to be really worked on. … She is a constant evaluator. She is going to be a great coach one day. She is always asking why we’re doing things and how you do things.”
Gordon wants Eubanks to live even more on the edge this season. Even though she led the team with 14 shots on goal in 2015, Gordon wants Eubanks to use her speed and technical ability to take players on and to create more scoring opportunities. He wants all of the Bulldogs to take more scoring chances on offense, but he knows anything Eubanks generates likely will create an opening for one of her teammates. He said he is anxious to see how Eubanks responds because this will be the first season she has the experience and confidence and is healthy to put everything into action.
“She has the qualities to dominate an opponent or an individual,” Gordon said. “I have always seen the quickness or how she can turn on someone and beat someone. The combination of skill and quickness and the ability to do that consistently from the preseason to the end of the season has eluded her, not without great effort or trying, but because of the circumstances. That is why I am excited for her because this is the culmination of so many things coming together that will allow her to do that and to be comfortable in her own skin as captain of our team.”
Eubanks said she worked on her shooting and dribbling with her left foot so she can keep defenders off balance. She said she plans to share the encouraging atmosphere she was a part of with the U.S. U-19 team with the Bulldogs and hopes it will stick. With added talent and a more experienced roster, Eubanks hopes this is the season she and MSU can shine the brightest.
“I am really excited about this season,” Eubanks said. “I feel like I am in a better soccer wise place than I have ever been coming into a season at Mississippi State. I have been touching the ball all summer. I have been getting shots in and really working on everything I need.
“Adding on to that, I have been working with the players who are coming in and returning and seeing everything they can do. It is just exciting to see how successful this team can be. It is really exciting to see all of the talent coming in.”
Follow Dispatch sports editor Adam Minichino on Twitter @ctsportseditor
Adam Minichino is the former Sports Editor for The Commercial Dispatch.
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