MOBILE, Ala. — For the first time in program history, Mississippi State’s soccer team has started consecutive seasons with four-straight wins.
Zakirah McGillivary, MaKayla Waldner, and Niah Johnson scored goals Sunday in a 3-0 victory against South Alabama.
“I’m pleased with the result,” MSU coach Tom Anagnost said. “I’m glad we were able to get more people in the game. It’s hard to win no matter what. We scored three goals though, that’s great.”
McGillivary opened the scoring in the 36th minute. Sophomore Gabriella Coleman dribbled down the wing, cut inside and made a pass to McGillivary, who scored from the top of the box.
MSU held an 11-0 edge in shots at halftime.
Five minutes into the second half, sophomore AK Ward found herself one-on-one with a defender at the top of the box. Waldner came running alongside her and received a short pass before firing a shot low to the back post.
Shortly after the goal, South Alabama’s Anita Agustsdottir was given a red card for retaliating against redshirt sophomore Olivia Hernandez. Hernandez was given a yellow card. Freshmen Hailey Farrington-Bentil and Johnson also received yellow cards in the final minutes.
“I was surprised by how low the pressure was,” Anagnost said. “The red card changed everything for them. We scored three goals, but we left another few on the table.”
In the 69th minute, the teams stopped for a water break before the Bulldogs took a throw in. The ball landed at freshman Monigo Karnley’s feet. Karnley turned and found Johnson just off the penalty spot. Johnson fired the ball home for her first career goal.
MSU was forced to defend six corners, just one shy of their total through the first three games of the year, but the defense held the Jaguars to just three shots on goal. Redshirt senior Rhylee DeCrane stopped all of them to earn her third shutout of the year.
MSU had 25 shots, which matched it best performance last season. It attempted 25 against Colgate on Sept. 3, 2017.
The game also marked the second time this season MSU has held an opponent to five or fewer shots.
n Ole Miss defeats Murray State: At Oxford, Haleigh Stackpole, Channing Foster, and CeCe Kizer scored goals Sunday to lead the Ole Miss women’s soccer team to a 3-0 victory against Murray State at the Ole Miss Soccer Stadium.
Stackpole’s goal off an assist from Kizer in the 26th minute gave the Rebels (3-1) a 1-0 halftime lead.
Foster intercepted a pass in the 48th minute and scored to give Ole Miss some insurance. Kizer closed the scoring in the 68th minute when she dribbled around a handful of defenders and beat the goalkeeper.
N Alabama defeats Kennesaw State: At Tuscaloosa, Alabama, Kat Rogers had two goals and two assists, and Casey Wertz had two goals Sunday to lead the Alabama women’s soccer team to a 6-0 victory against Kennesaw State.
Alex Plavin made one save in the shutout to lead the Crimson Tide (1-2-1).
“The girls came out with the right mindset, played hungry, and aggressive today,” Alabama coach Wes Hart said. “As the shots fell in we became more and more confident, and by scoring that first goal I think it took a lot of pressure off of us. We have some talented young players and for them to go out and prove themselves that they can play at this level, it makes a big impact. As the season goes on and we get ready for SEC play these minutes are valuable for growing as a team.”
Alabama outshot Kennesaw State, 30-6, and had a 10-2 advantage in corner kicks.
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