FAIYETVILLE, Arkansas — The atmosphere was sublime on the field as the final whistle blew in the second round of the NCAA Tournament against Memphis, Mississippi.
Faced with frigid conditions and a snowstorm, the Bulldogs sought to extend their season further against the Tigers.
Memphis was coming out of St. Louis’ first-round surprise run and was about to play spoilers again, but it was a spoiler.
The positive momentum that started with the American Athletic Conference title haul continued significantly Friday as the Tigers sent MSU home pucks as the Bulldogs’ history-making season ended in a 4-0 loss.
MSU was dominated by the Tigers on Friday, just as Mississippi State (12-6-4) was able to dominate most, if not all, of last Friday’s game against New Mexico State.
Memphis beat MSU 16-9, had 10 shooting to the Bulldogs’ 4 in the game, and controlled possession for most of the game.
That possession control led to the opening goal of the game, with a stunning free kick in the bottom left corner past the outstretched arm of Mississippi State goalkeeper Maddie Anderson in the 24th minute.
Even with the possession heavily favored by Memphis, MSU had chances but failed to convert.
They faced a stout Tigers defense that did a great job clearing the ball in the 18-yard box and surrounding area.
Going just 1-0 in the first half, this game still had chances, but it didn’t take long for Memphis to put the nail in the coffin of Mississippi State’s season.
The Tigers scored three times in the second half, two of them in nearly seven minutes.
They kept the pressure on and MSU couldn’t get much momentum to come back into the game.
MSU had two corners in the second half, but neither would have been great scoring chances as Memphis goalie Clair Wyvil stopped all four shots on the Bulldogs’ goal.
Mississippi State is back on the drawing board for the 2023 season, but not before a historic year that culminated in victories in the program’s first Southeastern Conference tournament and NCAA tournament.
Friday definitely left a sour in Bulldog’s mouth, but that feeling will almost certainly be used as fuel for next season’s hopeful repeat.
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