STARKVILLE — Tom Anagnost isn’t speaking in code when he uses words like “strong mentality.”
The second-year Mississippi State women’s soccer coach used those words to characterize his team’s performance Saturday in a 1-0 exhibition victory against Marquette. The result came a day after MSU dropped a 2-0 decision to Wisconsin in its exhibition opener. In that match, Anagnost didn’t feel the Bulldogs showed their “identity” and committed too many mistakes to win the closed scrimmage, which was originally scheduled for Thursday night but was postponed to 8 a.m. Friday.
Makayla Waldner knows the mind-set Anagnost wants. The junior forward hopes MSU can deliver the same attitude it displayed against Marquette when it plays host to Southern Mississippi at 7 p.m. Thursday in its regular-season opener at the MSU Soccer Field.
“I think you could say the Wisconsin game was out of character for us,” said Waldner, one of 12 returning players on a roster that features 16 newcomers. “We just did not come out and play our game. It was really different. We could not find our flow or rhythm or anything like that. Whenever the Marquette game came, Tom (Anagnost) was like, I want you guys to go out there and show them we are the tougher team. I think we did just that.”
Anagnost will look to Waldner, a junior forward, senior defender Courtney Robicheaux, and senior midfielder Carly Mauldin to help set the tone in 2018. Their leadership will be crucial for a team that has 14 freshmen, the most of any Southeastern Conference team. Nineteen of MSU’s 28 players are underclassmen.
The squad’s inexperience likely is one reason MSU was picked 12th in the SEC preseason poll. Florida was the preseason pick to win the league. Texas A&M, Tennessee, and South Carolina rounded out the top four. Ole Miss was picked seventh, while Alabama was eighth.
Waldner, who led MSU with nine goals last season, was surprised to hear MSU’s preseason position, but true to Anagnost’s words about mentality, she said the Bulldogs aren’t going to be fazed by what other people think.
“I think that is kind of a disappointment to a lot of us because we know we’re a better team than that,” Waldner said. “Although our season last year didn’t end up the way we wanted to, we were right there every game, and we tied or lost in the last five minutes or eight or so games, so we know we’re a good team. It is going to be a breakout season for our team. We just have to get over that threshold.”
MSU went 9-5-4 (2-5-3 SEC) in 2017. The winning percentage (.611) was its best in 16 seasons. The Bulldogs also finished with their highest Rating Percentage Index (RPI) (No. 39). The NCAA tournament selection committee uses RPI as a guideline when it picks the at-large teams for the 64-team field.
This season, MSU will play all nine of the SEC teams that made the 2017 NCAA tournament. A slight improvement in the SEC could go a long way in helping MSU qualify for the SEC tournament, which would greatly enhance its chances of making the NCAA tournament for the first time.
To do that, Anagnost knows MSU will have to display the mentality it showed against Marquette.
“We were just better, in all phases, in the second game,” Anagnost said. “Between the matches, we focused on a few areas. We said we’d do better at things, and they did. It was clearly a better match for most of the individuals on the team, and I would say collectively. I was pleased. We need to build on that.”
Waldner feels MSU will use its toughness to capitalize on the match against Marquette.
“I think we take pride in being the toughest one in our conference, and every team knows that,” Waldner said. “I think that just goes to show how hard we are going to work, and no matter how young we are, we are going to be able to pick up the slack in other areas. We are going to go out there and battle it out and try to be the tougher opponent every time.”
Follow Dispatch sports editor Adam Minichino on Twitter @ctsportseditor
Adam Minichino is the former Sports Editor for The Commercial Dispatch.
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