Cowbell Corner

Mississippi State back in its comfort zone chasing an upset in Starkville

The Bulldogs host No. 21 Vanderbilt on Thursday, aiming to reclaim momentum after two close losses.
Taylor Hodges|
Mississippi State Goal Keeper Sarah Wommack (#1) during the match between the Wake Forest Demon Deacons and the Mississippi State Bulldogs at the MSU Soccer Field in Starkville, MS.
Mississippi State Goal Keeper Sarah Wommack (#1) during the match between the Wake Forest Demon Deacons and the Mississippi State Bulldogs at the MSU Soccer Field in Starkville, MS. | Mississippi State Athletics

After back-to-back losses, Mississippi State has fallen outside of the United Soccer Coaches top 25 rankings after reaching as high as No. 12 overall.

That feels like an overreaction by the voters considering the Bulldogs led then-No. 7 Arkansas at halftime and the 2-1 loss to unranked Florida was very close.

But nevertheless, here we are, and Mississippi State is actually in a good, familiar position.

Mississippi State is hosting No. 21 Vanderbilt on Thursday evening (see How to Watch information below). It’ll be the third time this season the Bulldogs have hosted a higher ranked team and they won the first two instances.

Back in August, Mississippi State beat then-No. 10 Wake Forest, 2-1 and then opened SEC play with a 3-2 win against then-No. 1 Tennessee, 3-2.

The underdog role is one the Bulldogs have succeeded at, especially on its home field where they’re 5-0-1 this season.

“I know no one likes to play here, and that's awesome for us because we love to play here,” Mississippi State co-captain Zoe Main said. “I think we really thrive on this field, playing ranked opponents especially in this environment.”

“This is a hard place to play, but not for us,” Chelsea Wagner said. “It is the most fun place to play…and so having everyone behind us gives us that energy and boosts us.”

Historically, playing in Starkville hasn’t been hard for Vanderbilt.

The Commodores have never lost a match at MSU Soccer Field, or any previous iterations of the Bulldogs’ pitch.

There have been 23 matches in the series and Mississippi State’s record at home in the series is 0-10-1. But that one tie was in the most recent meeting between the schools, which was in 2023.

It wouldn’t be too surprising if Thursday’s match ends in a tie, too. Both the Bulldogs and Commodores have possession-heavy styles of play and are great defensively.

“They have a style that is similar to ours in that they want to keep the ball,” Mississippi State coach Nick Zimmerman said. “They want to dominate the ball. They're right up there in the top three of passing metrics, possession, recoveries and things that we pride ourselves on as well.”

The Commodores just posted their ninth shutout of the season and are second in the SEC in goal differential at plus-22, which ranks No. 14 nationally. Vanderbilt ranks ninth nationally in shutout percentage (.643) and leads the SEC in shots per game (8.00). Those shots have been on target nearly 48 percent of the time, which is second in the SEC.

“We feel right now is playing some of the best football, not only in the conference, but in the country,” Zimmerman said.

As Main, the second-leading goal scorer for Mississippi State pointed out, the similarities can be an advantage, too.

“I think we’re kind of ready to attack that because we know what to do,” Main said.

Mississippi State’s chances would be a lot higher if its best player didn’t have to serve a one-game suspension.

Ally Perry was sent off of last week’s loss to Florida with a red card in second half, meaning one of the best players in the nation won’t be on the pitch Thursday.

“Obviously, we were devastated for Ally,” Zimmerman said. “She's handled it like a true pro. Really proud of her, never an easy moment for sure. But, again, how she's handled it is a testament to her and her maturity over the years.

“And, yeah, there's games that we've had success and we've won, and Allie hasn't scored or assisted. So, this is a great opportunity for other players to continue to use this moment as an opportunity to learn and grow.”

Here’s how to watch Thursday night’s match:

How to Watch: No. 21 Vanderbilt at Mississippi State

  • Who: No. 21 Vanderbilt Commodores (10-3-1, 4-2-1 SEC) at Mississippi State Bulldogs (9-3-1, 4-2-1 SEC)
  • When: 6 p.m., Thursday
  • Where: MSU Soccer Field, Starkville, Miss.
  • TV: SECN+
  • Radio: Live Radio
  • Stats: Live Stats
  • Series History: Vanderbilt leads the all-time series 20-2-1
  • Last Meeting: Mississippi State 0, Vanderbilt 0 (October 19, 2023)
  • Last time out, Bulldogs: lost to Florida, 2-1
  • Last time out, Commodores: def. Missouri, 2-0

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Taylor Hodges
TAYLOR HODGES

Award-winning sports editor, writer, columnist, and photographer with 15 years’ experience offering his opinion and insight about the sports world in Mississippi and Texas, but he was taken to Razorback pep rallies at Billy Bob's Texas in Fort Worth before he could walk. Taylor has covered all levels of sports, from small high schools in the Mississippi Delta to NFL games. Follow Taylor on Twitter and Facebook.

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