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Mississippi State Athletics
Photo: Mississippi State Athletics
STARKVILLE- Mississippi State’s undefeated football program earned its ninth win of the season Sunday night, beating the LSU Tigers, 3-2, in front of a record crowd of 1,483.
“[I’m] Incredibly proud of the total team effort tonight,” said head coach James Armstrong. “Thank you LSU; they’re an amazing team – very physical and athletic, so we had to be at our best, and maybe get a few rebounds here and there, to get the result we wanted.”
Within the first three minutes of the game, State found the back of the net for their second-quickest goal of the season after senior graduate Gwen Mummert headed the ball off a corner from second-year transfer Haley McWhirter.
Twenty seconds later, however, LSU (7-2-2, 2-1-0) scored the equalizer. In the fifth minute, the Bulldogs took the lead again after Maggie Wadsworth pushed the ball past a pinball situation on State’s second straight corner of the night. The Tigers would tie the game at two goals apiece five minutes before halftime.
The only goal of the second half came in the 83rd minute after McWhirter was fouled in the box, awarding Mississippi State their second penalty of the season. Leaving no room for hesitation, the Magnolia, Texas native buried her fourth goal and her second winner of the season.
“It was an incredible win for the program. To come in the first three games against three quality opponents, and then have nine points in the SEC game? We couldn’t be prouder,” Armstrong added.
State’s 3-2 win is the highest-scoring game for the Bulldogs since beating rival Ole Miss by the same scoreline to end the 2021 season.
The 1,483 fans in attendance set a new program record, breaking the previous record of 1,402 set against South Carolina in 2018.
“The home crowd has been amazing all season,” Armstrong added. “They made the difference tonight. They cheered us on the whole way and they all stayed until the end.”
State will take nearly a full week off before making its second conference road trip of the season Friday, Sept. 30, against the Missouri Tigers (4-5-1, 1-2-0). This match will begin at 7 p.m. CT.