STARKVILLE — MaKayla Waldner knows there is plenty of more work to be done.
The junior forward had an open mind entering the Mississippi State women’s soccer team’s match against then-No. 9 Auburn on Friday. Following a 3-0 loss in Auburn, Alabama, Waldner feels MSU may have been humbled and realizes it needs to prepare even harder for the rest of its Southeastern Conference schedule.
“Although we lost by three, I think the score didn’t reflect how the game went,” Waldner said. “We were all disappointed, but (MSU coach) Tom (Anagnost) told us we won more first balls, more second balls. We connected more passes than Auburn. We had more shots than Auburn. We didn’t capitalize on our chances. Even though we lost 3-0, it doesn’t reflect on what type of program we are.”
MSU (7-1) won’t have to wait long to take on that challenge when it plays host to No. 13 South Carolina (7-1) at 7 p.m. Thursday (SEC Network+) in its SEC home opener at the MSU Soccer Field.
South Carolina kicked off league play with a 2-0 victory against then-No. 11 Tennessee on Sunday in Knoxville, Tennessee. The Gamecocks have a 20-0-1 record in SEC regular-season play in the last two seasons en route to claiming back-to-back titles. Dating back to 2015, South Carolina has a program-best 23-game unbeaten streak in the SEC, which is the longest in program history.
“We are just going to have to go in and know every single match from here on out is going to be a tough one and we can compete with anyone in the nation,” Waldner said.
Anagnost said he was disappointed his team gave Auburn too many chances. The Tigers capitalized by scoring two goals in the first 31 minutes. Auburn held only a 7-6 edge in shots on goal. MSU had the overall advantage in shots, 20-14.
“Auburn has dynamic players and they created (chances), but I think we could have done a better job of limiting those,” Anagnost said. “The positives were we created a good number (of chances). We definitely created enough chances to score multiple goals, so not coming away with more was disappointing.”
The loss dropped MSU, which has never been nationally ranked, to two receiving votes in this week’s United Soccer Coaches Top 25. Two weeks ago, MSU received 37 points and was on the cusp of the poll. Last week, the Bulldogs received 23 points.
Despite falling in the USC poll, MSU earned a program-best No. 2 ranking in the NCAA’s Ratings Percentage Index (RPI), which gages a team’s strength based on its opponents. The NCAA tournament selection committee uses the RPI to determine the at-large selections for the Division I tournament. MSU has never advanced to the NCAA tournament. The program has had only six winning seasons since its inception in 1995. The Bulldogs also have qualified for the SEC tournament only two times. The last time was 2004, when it went 5-5-1 and matched the program-best mark for league wins in a season.
All of those factors support how Waldner and senior midfielder Carly Mauldin feel opponents view MSU, which was picked 12th in the SEC’s preseason poll. Playing four of its first five games against teams in the top five of the SEC’s preseason poll will make it tougher for MSU to climb the ladder, but Waldner and Mauldin have confidence the 2018 team — which prides itself on a commitment to getting better every day — can continue to change what people think about the program.
Waldner credits Anagnost for creating “a winning environment” by leaning on the players to be leaders. Mauldin said she, Waldner, Courtney Robicheaux, Kristen Malebranche, and Miranda Carrasco are a few of the leaders who have helped set the tone for the program that still feels it has something to prove.
“We’re excited people are noticing us, but we also have things to prove to people now,” Mauldin said. “If you’re up there, that is what they think is going to happen. I think these next few games — we have already talked about it — we have to prove we deserve to be up there because I don’t think many teams respect us up there now.”
Said Waldner, “We have the potential to be something great and to make history at Mississippi State. We’re on the rise, and it’s a big change from how it used to be, but now no other SEC school thinks of us as, ‘Oh, it is Mississippi State. That’s going to be an easy game.’ We’re the toughest team in the majority of our matches, and we’re going to grind it through.”
South Carolina is 8-0-3 in its last 11 meetings against MSU. MSU’s last win in the series was a 2-1 decision on Oct. 16, 2005, in Starkville.
Follow Dispatch sports editor Adam Minichino on Twitter @ctsportseditor
Adam Minichino is the former Sports Editor for The Commercial Dispatch.
You can help your community
Quality, in-depth journalism is essential to a healthy community. The Dispatch brings you the most complete reporting and insightful commentary in the Golden Triangle, but we need your help to continue our efforts. In the past week, our reporters have posted 43 articles to cdispatch.com. Please consider subscribing to our website for only $2.30 per week to help support local journalism and our community.