STARKVILLE – After an undefeated road trip, the Mississippi State soccer program returns to the pitch Thursday night (Aug. 25), this time on familiar grounds when Lipscomb (1-1-0) arrives to Starkville. The first home match of the season will kick off at 6:30 p.m. CT.

“We have been waiting for the opportunity to play in front of our home fans in a regular season match,” head coach James Armstrong said. “Lipscomb is a very good team who will provide us just the kind of test we are looking for. It has all the makings of [being] a great matchup.”

Thursday night will be the sixth total meeting between the Bulldogs and Bisons, with Lipscomb holding the series lead, 3-2. State opened the series in 2011 with back-to-back wins before dropping the last three meetings, each by a one-goal margin.

Lipscomb arrives to Starkville after a 4-0 victory over Tennessee Tech. Four different Bisons found the back of the net with all four goals getting logged in the second half. Lipscomb outshot Tennessee Tech, 13-4, placing nine of those on frame. State is also entering Thursday night with a win over its recent opponent, after defeating FIU, 3-1, in South Beach. Two different Bulldogs recorded goals, as Haley McWhirter scored the season’s first directly off a corner. Freshman Alivia Buxton got in on the action as well, logging the final pair of goals for MSU. Buxton received SEC Freshman of the Week honors for her two-goal performance over FIU.

The Bulldogs’ battle against the Bisons will mark the beginning of 10 total home matches for MSU’s 2022 campaign. Over the next two weeks alone, State will play in front of its home crowd four times. Admission is free to all Mississippi State soccer matches.

W, 3-1, at FIU
For the second time in as many games, the Bulldogs produced a goal-scoring opportunity within the first six minutes of the match. However, unlike the season-opener at Miami, MSU was able to turn Sunday’s into a goal. Buxton’s multiple-goal outing was the first by a State player in over a year. Five shots were recorded by FIU, meaning State has now allowed only nine total shots in the opening 180 minutes of the season.

In only 89 minutes of game action, freshman Maggie Wadsworth has already fired four shots toward the net, with all four being on goal. Her four shots on goal leads the team and her 1.000 SOG% is tied among six other Bulldogs for the team’s highest. Wadsworth’s two shots on goal per game is ranked second in the conference. The freshman is also responsible for the team’s lone assist of the season, delivering a cross that Buxton finished at FIU.

MSU is averaging 10 shots on goal per game, with a .500 SOG%. That currently ranks second in the conference and 14^th nationally.

For more information on the Bulldog soccer program, visit HailState.com or search for “HailStateSOC” on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook.