The top-ranked team in women's college soccer fell again Friday night as Mississippi State defeated No. 1 Tennessee 3-2 in Starkville. It was the third time in just five polls the No. 1 team went down this season.
The Lady Vols, playing in their first game as the United Soccer Coaches Poll's top-ranked team, was clinging on to a 2-2 tie with the Bulldogs late in the match, but Mississippi State's Ally Perry scored her second and game-winning goal of the half in the 89th minute. The Bulldogs celebrated their second straight victory over a No. 1 opponent, with Perry netting the game-winner in both contests. Last year, she scored the lone goal in a 1-0 win against then-No. 1 Arkansas.
Her moment |
— Mississippi State Soccer (@HailStateSOC)
The loss for Tennessee continued a trend of instability at the top of the rankings this season. The preseason No. 1 team, North Carolina, lost to a then-unranked Tennessee in its first game of the season. There have been four United Soccer Coaches Poll No. 1 ranked teams so far, with Duke being the only to not lose while at the top. Stanford, which took over the top spot for Duke, fell to then-No. 18 UCLA in its second week at No. 1.
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Tennessee was the last team in Division I women's soccer to concede a goal, having rode a wave of seven shutouts to start the season. But the Volunteers surrendered three in a single game in their SEC opener as the sport continues to highlight a new level of parity.
