STARKVILLE - The unbeaten Mississippi State soccer program secured its ninth win of the season on Sunday night, beating the LSU Tigers, 3-2, in front of a record crowd of 1,483.

"[I'm] Incredibly proud of the total team effort tonight," head coach James Armstrong said. "Credit to LSU; they're an incredible team - very physical and athletic, so we had to be at our very best, and maybe get a few bounces here and there, to get the result we wanted."

Within the first three minutes of the match, State found the back of the net for its second-fastest goal of the season after graduate senior Gwen Mummert headed the ball in off a corner-kick-delivery from sophomore transfer Haley McWhirter.

Twenty seconds later, however, LSU (7-2-2, 2-1-0) scored the equalizer. In the fifth minute, the Bulldogs would once again take the lead after Maggie Wadsworth poked the ball through after a pinball situation off State's second-straight corner kick of the night. The Tigers would tie the game at two goals apiece five minutes before halftime.

The lone goal of the second half came in the 83rd minute after McWhirter was fouled in the box, awarding Mississippi State its second penalty kick of the season. Leaving no room for hesitation, the Magnolia, Texas, native buried her fourth goal, and second game-winner, of the season.

"It was an unbelievable win for the program. To go the first three games against three quality opponents, and to have nine points after that in SEC play? We couldn't be prouder," Armstrong added.

State's 3-2 win is the highest-scoring match for the Bulldogs since beating in-state rival Ole Miss by the same score to end the 2021 season.

The 1,483 fans in attendance set a new program record, beating the previous high of 1,402 set against South Carolina in 2018.

"The home crowd has been unbelievable all season," Armstrong added. "They were the difference tonight. They cheered us on the whole way and they all stayed until the end."

State will take close to a full week off before making its second conference road trip of the season Friday (Sept. 30) against the Missouri Tigers (4-5-1, 1-2-0). That match will kick off at 7 p.m. CT.