Soccer Central: at Mississippi State

STARKVILLE, Miss. -- The Tennessee soccer team embarks on its final road trip of the regular season this weekend, traveling to Mississippi State on Sunday. Kickoff between the Vols and Bulldogs is scheduled for 2 p.m. at the MSU Soccer Field.

Sunday's match will be streamed online via SEC Network+, available at WatchESPN.com and the ESPN app. Live stats will also be provided by StatBroadcast, and fans can follow @Vol_Soccer on Twitter for live match updates.

LAST TIME OUT: The Vols knocked off No. 20 Florida 1-0 at home Thursday night for their first win over a ranked opponent this season. Redshirt senior midfielder Katie Cousins provided the game-winner in the 51st minute with her first goal of 2019 off a service into the box from MA Vignola.

Freshman Lindsey Romig recorded her third solo shutout of the season against Florida with seven saves on the night. The rookie boasts a 0.48 GAA along with a .865 save percentage, which would both stand as all-time program records for a single season (min. 1,000 minutes).

With the win over the league-leading Gators, Tennessee has defeated Florida in back-to-back seasons for the first time in 12 years - when the Vols rattled off three-straight against the Gators from 2005-07.

VIGNOLA THRIVES UP TOP: Coming off an All-SEC Second Team campaign in 2018, senior MA Vignola is filling up the stat sheet in her final year on Rocky Top. She made the move to forward after spending most of last season at left back and leads the Vols with eight goals and three game-winners. Six of UT's last nine goals have come off of Vignola's left foot.

BURY THE PAST: Following an unprecedented 0-3 start to SEC play, the Vols have gone 3-1-1 in their last five SEC matches including a 1-1 tie at No. 7 South Carolina and a 1-0 win over No. 20 Florida. The team has had a shovel in their bench area over those last five matches to symbolize 'burying the past.'

BRIGHT FUTURE AHEAD: Tennessee was one of three schools in the country (UNC, Clemson) to have four players named to the Top Drawer Soccer Women's Freshman Top 100.

SERIES HISTORY: The Vols are unbeaten in their last 11 matchups against the Bulldogs, with a 16-2-1 lead in the all-time series. UT's .868 win percentage against MSU is its highest against any SEC opponent in program history.

In last year's meeting between the two programs, Tennessee escaped with a 1-0 victory over Mississippi State as Bunny Shaw scored a late game-winner in the 87th minute off an assist from Wrenne French.

SCOUTING MISSISSIPPI STATE: Under first-year head coach James Armstrong, the Bulldogs enter Sunday with a 7-7-2 overall record and a 2-4-2 ledger in league play. Mississippi State most recently earned a 2-2 draw at LSU.

The Bulldog attack is paced by a pair of forwards in MaKayla Waldner and Monigo Karnley, who lead the team with nine goals and five assists respectively.

UP NEXT: Tennessee's regular season finale is set for Halloween night as Arkansas visits Knoxville Thursday, Oct. 31. Kickoff is scheduled for 7 p.m. with Senior Night recognition beginning at approximately 6:40.

For the most up-to-date information on Tennessee soccer, follow @Vol_Soccer on Twitter.

Next Event

Players Mentioned

Isabella Cook

Katie Cousins

Wrenne French

Maria Nelson

Sonia Ouchene Salón

Lindsey Romig

Bunny Shaw

MA Vignola

University of Tennessee Athletics