Georgia Closes Regular Season at Mississippi State

Georgia (11-5-1, 5-3-1 SEC) at Mississippi State (10-4-3, 4-4-1 SEC)
Date: Thursday, Oct. 27
Time: 7:30 p.m. EDT
Location: Starkville, Miss.
Site: MSU Soccer Field (500)

MEDIA INFORMATION
Live Stream: SEC Network+
Live Stats: GeorgiaDogs.com
Twitter: @UGASoccer
Instagram: @UGASoccer

Social Media: For complete information on Georgia soccer, follow the team on its social media channels via @UGASoccer on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram.

QUICK KICKS
Decision Day in the SEC
Georgia concludes the regular season Thursday with a crucial matchup at Mississippi State. Both Bulldogs are looking to earn a bye in the SEC Tournament with Georgia sitting sixth (16 points) and Mississippi State seventh (13 points). With a win or tie, Georgia will earn their first top-six bye since 2019 and potentially its highest seed since a five seed in 2011. A Georgia loss would force the team to play in the first round on Sunday.

Bulldog Battle
Georgia faces off against Mississippi State for the first time since a 2-2 tie last season in Athens. After taking a 2-0 lead 20 minutes into the match, Georgia allowed two quick State goals before playing 90 scoreless minutes. Georgia is 8-1 all-time in Starkville, including a 1-0 overtime victory in the last meeting in 2019.

Brown Coming Up Big
Freshman goalkeeper Jordan Brown has made an immediate impact on Georgia, posting three-consecutive shutout wins in her first three starts and earning back-to-back SEC Freshman of the Week honors. The Las Vegas native is the first keeper in program history to earn a clean sheet in each of her first three starts. With Brown in net, the Bulldogs have shutout three straight SEC opponents for the first time since 2010 - one more shutout would tie the record streak set in the same year.

Overall, the Georgia defense has been stout throughout the season with one of the most consistent lineups in the country. The Bulldogs have held opponents to an .083 shooting percentage and 57 corners. The 12 goals allowed this season is tied for the fewest in a season, while the team's 10 shutouts rank third all-time.

Road Warriors
Georgia's play away from home has been among the strongest in program history. The Bulldogs' five road wins are tied for second-most all-time, only trailing the seven won in 2011. The team is unbeaten in its last six road contests (5 W, 1 T), the second-longest streak in history. Additionally, a win in Starkville would mark four road SEC wins for the first time since 2011 and just their second unbeaten road SEC slate ever (2007). Finally, a shutout tonight would set a record for most road clean sheets in a season.

Boyan Breaking Record
With her start against Kentucky, graduate midfielder Abby Boyan set a new program record for career starts (88), breaking the record held by Bulldog legend Carrie Patterson. With an appearance against Mississippi State, Boyan will also break Natalie Farley's record for most career appearances (88). The Spring Lake, New Jersey native also ranks third in shots (191) and fifth in assists (19).

Fellow graduates Cecily Stoute and Dani Murguia are also nearing the top of the all-time appearances list. Murguia is tied for third (87) and Stoute ranks sixth (85), as well as third in starts (85).

Spreading the Wealth
Through 17 matches, 15 different Bulldogs have scored this season, the second-most goal scorers in a single season. In the 1998 season, 16 different players netted a goal. In another sign of the Bulldogs' depth, 13 of Georgia's 36 goals this season (36.1 percent) have been scored by players coming off the bench.

Starting Fast
Georgia quickly took control of last Sunday's match at Kentucky as Madison Haugen scored 84 seconds in, the 10th-fastest score in program history. It was the fifth time this season the Bulldogs have scored in the first 10 minutes of play. This season, Georgia is 11-0 when they score first and 7-0 when leading at halftime, with Kentucky marking their first halftime lead of SEC play.

Dawgs in the Polls
This week, Georgia moved up to a season-high 30th in the NCAA RPI rankings and climbed the United Soccer Coaches Southeast Regional poll to No. 7.

Tidbits and Trends
Entering tonight's match, Georgia is 7-3-1 at night, 11-1-1 against unranked opponents (5-0-1 in SEC play), and 4-3-1 on Thursday nights. The Bulldogs are also 9-0 when scoring 2+ goals and 10-0-1 when outshooting their opponent. Georgia has only won one SEC regular season finale in its last five chances.

Up Next
Georgia heads to Pensacola, Florida for the 2022 SEC Soccer Tournament, held for the first time at the Ashton Brosnaham Soccer Complex. All matches will air live on SEC Network, with Georgia playing on either Sunday, Oct. 30 or Tuesday, Nov. 1.

Next Event

Players Mentioned

Abby Boyan

Jordan Brown

Madison Haugen

Dani Murguia

Cecily Stoute