Mississippi State Soccer Opens Against Iowa State Friday Night

Mississippi State will begin its 20th season of soccer play Friday night when the Bulldogs play host to the Iowa State Cyclones in a soccer match slated for a 7:05 pm start in Starkville.  The game will also mark the debut of live Mississippi State athletics on the SEC Network as the game will air on the SEC Network + Digital platform.

The Bulldogs boast a roster full of both youth and Mississippians.  In all, ten Bulldogs call the Magnolia State home, and the squad has 19 freshmen, the most since the 1995 inaugural squad listed 21 freshmen.

In the Cyclones, Mississippi State faces a team that finished the 2013 season with a 9-9-2 overall record with a 3-4-1 record in Big 12 play. Koree Wiler scored four goals and tallied six assist last year, and she is the leading returning scorer for iowa State.

For the Bulldogs, look for Morgan Ferrara, who scored four goals in the spring, and Shannen Jainudeen, who scored three goals in the spring, to lead the offense for Mississippi State. Ferrara is one of eight projected starting freshmen, a list that includes goalkeeper Rhylee DeCrane.  Jainudeen is the squad's lone senior.

Iowa State holds a 2-0-1 advantage all-time against Mississippi State, but the last meeting between the two teams, a 0-0 draw, was played in 2005 in Starkville.

After playing the Cyclones Friday, the Bulldogs will host Cincinnati Sunday morning.