STARKVILLE - Mississippi State (8-3-3, 3-2-1 SEC) faced off against in-state foe Ole Miss (6-5-2, 2-3-1 SEC) for the annual battle for the Magnolia Cup Sunday evening. StarkVegas was rocking on throughout the night as the second-largest crowd in MSU Soccer Field history witnessed the Dawgs capture their fourth-straight Magnolia Cup victory, 1-0.

1,523 of the Maroon and White faithful settled in for the latest installment of the Magnolia Cup just as the sun began to set and created the perfect fall setting for some SEC soccer. The early going was a back-and-forth attacking affair as both squads looked to gain the upper hand and momentum early.

Maggie Wadsworth was persistent with her shots early, firing shots off at 15' and 21', but the Rebels' Addie Yelton made crucial saves.

Shortly after many Bulldog attacking opportunities, things got heated as Aubrey Mister from Ole Miss received a yellow card after a foul in the box. Ilana Izquierdo was tasked with stepping up for the penalty kick as a silent hush befell the crowd as the whistle blew and she stepped up for the kick. The ball sailed past a diving Yelton and into the back of the net. State successfully took advantage of the situation, giving the Dawgs a 1-0 lead at 34', which was ultimately the difference in the contest.

State had the upper hand with 13 shots, four of which were on target, while Ole Miss managed nine shots, with two of them being on target. Maddy Anderson secured her sixth shutout of the season (seven with the combined shutout versus Arizona State) and 21st of her Bulldog career.

As of late, the Bulldogs have gained the upper hand in the rivalry, winning the last four meetings with all of those contests being one-goal differentials (1-0 in 2020, 3-2 in 2021, 1-0 in 2022 and 1-0 in 2023). Ole Miss has not won in Starkville since 2014.

The Bulldogs cap off a perfect 2-0 week (1-0 at Florida, 1-0 vs Ole Miss) and picked up an all-important six points in the SEC standings. They will return to the pitch when they travel to Lexington to face off against the Kentucky Wildcats on Sunday for a 2 PM kick.

Quoting Head Coach James Armstrong
On the Game JA:
"When you play your local rival, sometimes it is not always the prettiest of games. You just want to get that trophy again. It is our fourth year in a row, so we are really proud of that. We got players on the field who are leaving at the end of the year and graduating, and they managed to win four in a row. It was a complete team performance. I thought the bench was unbelievable and the crowd was unbelievable. Lots of players were just thrown on and we changed our shape a few times. This is one we will absolutely enjoy. This caps off a good week. The SEC is crazy right now. Everybody is really close together so anytime you can take up three points is a massive day for us. It is a little bit sweeter when it's against your rivals."

Quoting Junior Midfielder Ilana Izquierdo
On the Goal II:
"I was kind of nervous not going to lie but I was just happy. I was so happy to get the opportunity to take a penalty kick and I was happy when we won the game."