PALO ALTO, Calif. – Friday marks another momentous occasion for the No. 6 seeded Mississippi State Bulldogs (11-5-5) as they are set to take on the No. 3 seeded Brown Bears (12-2-2) in Palo Alto, California for the Second Round of the NCAA Tournament with kickoff slated for 5:30 CT.
The Bulldogs find themselves in a familiar position as they have earned a spot in the Second Round of the NCAA Tournament for the second consecutive season, however, these Dawgs are poised to continue their season of many “firsts”.
It may be a long way from Starkville to Palo Alto, but making a long trip out west is not new to MSU. The Bulldogs played in Arizona to open up the regular season, defeating Grand Canyon for the first win of the year before battling to a draw with Arizona State. Those battles set the tone for the Dawgs throughout the season as they have been road warriors when visiting opposing pitches.
This string of road battles truly began with a trip to Gainesville, Florida, where Mississippi State captured their first-ever victory in the Swamp, defeating the University of Florida with a score of 1-0. The very next road trip for the Bulldogs saw them storm into Lexington, Kentucky to knock off the then-unbeaten Wildcats 2-0. The next time on the road was a monumental achievement as the Dawgs defeated then-16th-ranked Alabama on the road to break their 28-game unbeaten streak at home. Mississippi State is no stranger to seeing success away from home as they are 4-2-2 on the road this season.
In the First Round of the NCAA Tournament, No. 6 Mississippi State successfully took advantage of hosting postseason soccer in Starkville for the second consecutive season by defeating Providence 1-nill in a double-overtime thriller in front of the Maroon and White faithful. At the 95′, Maggie Wadsworth delivered once again as she has so many times before. Wadsworth did not give up on a ball in the box, splitting the defense to send a ball past the keeper and into the back of the net. The early overtime goal ignited the Bulldog faithful and was ultimately the difference in the contest as the Bulldogs stood tall on defense for the remainder of the contest.
On the other side of the pitch are the Brown University Bears. In the final regular season United Soccer Coaches Poll, Brown secured the 14th position, while Mississippi State…
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