Sunday, September 13, 2009

STARKVILLE, Miss. (Sept. 13, 2009) - Two goals by Mississippi State forward Kat Walsh proved to be the difference as the ETSU women's soccer team fell 2-0 Sunday at the MSU Soccer Field in Starkville, Miss.

"This was the longest road trip we've had this season and I'm proud of how all our players pulled together this afternoon and played for one another," said head coach Heather Henson. "Playing our third Southeastern Conference team this season was a challenge, but I thought our effort was good against Mississippi State. As a team we want our players to know that they are capable of playing with high level teams and today I believed we started to realize that."

After ETSU (1-6-0) fired three shots in the first nine minutes, Mississippi State (6-0-0) responded with Walsh's fourth goal of the year, giving the Bulldogs an early 1-0 lead in the 14^th minute.

The Bulldogs continued their offensive attack late into the second half, before Walsh tapped in the insurance score off a pass crossed by teammate Jasmine Simmon.

"After they scored their first goal I thought our team did a great job sticking to our system and creating some chances," said Henson. "We came out in the second half and stayed aggressive. Our forwards pushed hard to tie the match late in the second half and unfortunately Mississippi State was able to take advantage with their counterattack and get a second goal with only a couple of minutes to play."

Senior forward Jordan Monty (Mesquite, Texas) and freshman forward Tori Head (Kingsport, Tenn.) led the ETSU attack with two shots apiece, while sophomore keeper Megan Masch (Virginia Beach, Va.) led the defense with career-high 16 saves.

"Megan had some quality saves, which gave our team a chance to get back in the match," said Henson. "She is the type of player that can have a spectacular performance each time we take the field and today she did that against a deep, talented team in Mississippi State."

The Bucs return to action with their third straight road match with a 7:00 p.m., contest Friday at Charlotte.

For more information on the ETSU women's soccer team please visit www.ETSUBucs.com. Also you can follow daily post and updates on the official ETSU women's soccer team Twitter page at www.twitter.com/ETSUSoccer.