STARKVILLE, Miss. – Mississippi State scored early in the second half and held on despite being a player down for a majority of the contest, held on for a 1-0 victory over the University of South Alabama soccer team Thursday night at the MSU Soccer Complex.
The Bulldogs improve to 5-2 and the Jaguars drop to 4-2-1.
GAME FACTS
- Mississippi State was forced to go with 10 players for the final 70 minutes after its goalkeeper was sent off for taking down senior
Brianna Morris
- Both Morris and graduate
Athanasia Moraitou went just wide of the post in the first half
- The Jaguars held a 5-3 advantage in shots at halftime, including the only one on goal
- MSU wasted little time in scoring after halftime as the Bulldogs hit the back of the net just 37 seconds in; Niejia Watkins chipped a ball in to Monigo Karnley, who headed it over USA goalkeeper
Justice Stanford
- Morris, who led the Jags with three shots, sent a header wide right at 58:32, just seconds after Moraitou missed just left
- An attempt from MSU's Zakirah McGillivary forced a diving stop by Stanford from 20 yards out in the 69th minute
- Graduate
Chloe McGlade was left alone at the top left corner of the 18-yard box at 77:54, but sent her bouncing shot straight to the MSU goalkeeper
- Stanford made two saves and allowed the one goal
NOTES
- Mississippi State is 3-0-1 in the last four games in the series since dropping three straight to South Alabama from 2013-15
- The Bulldogs outshot the Jaguars 8-3 in the second half, putting three of those attempts on goal
- USA has allowed three shots on goal in each of its last three outings, and no more than seven in any game this season
THEY SAID IT
Head Coach Richard Moodie
Overall thoughts: "I thought it was a brave performance from us. We came here, on the road, against an SEC opponent and gave it everything. It's a game that's summed up where we just missed chances. We should've taken some chances and we could've taken the game in the first half."
On not taking advantage of MSU's red card: "Everybody will expect you to win against 10 players. Even at the top level, you see teams that play better a man down; it's not a given. Mississippi State changed their formation and made it difficult. The reality is, when the ball went up in the air and they had to win it, they won it. The first half was significantly better than the second. If we scored a goal in the first half, I think it's a different story, but we didn't and that's a problem. When you concede early in the second half, then your back's really against the wall. There were still chances to tie it up and for us to win it, but that sums up tonight. We have to take chances, especially against bigger teams."
UP NEXT
The Jaguars stay in state and take on Ole Miss Sunday at 1 p.m. The game will be shown on SEC Network +.
For more information about South Alabama athletics, check back with www.usajaguars.com, and follow the Jaguars at www.twitter.com/WeAreSouth_JAGS. Season tickets for all Jaguar athletic events can be purchased by calling (251) 461-1USA (1872).
Join the Upper 90 Club, the soccer specific support club of the Jaguar Athletic Fund. All gifts to the Upper 90 Club go directly to support the South Alabama soccer program. For more information on how you can join visit: http://jaguarathleticfund.com/upper90
—USA—
