STARKVILLE, MS - In a thrilling Friday night soccer matchup at the MSU Soccer Field, the Bulldogs (6-3-3, 1-2-1 SEC) squared off against the Lady Volunteers of Tennessee (6-2-3, 1-1-2 SEC) in a women's college soccer showdown that ended in a 3-3 draw.

The Bulldogs got off to a strong start, scoring two goals in the first half.

In the 29th minute, Mississippi State notched their opening goal when junior forward Hannah Johnson (Oakleaf High School, Florida) skillfully placed the ball into the bottom left corner of the net, courtesy of an assist from Zoe Main and Maggie Wadsworth.

"The goals were amazing; just the whole team's effort honestly, said Johnson, who, with 100-plus goals in her high school career, scored 36 goals for Oakleaf in 2019 and 28 goals in 2020. "I think our execution is great. I think the rest of the game went well and we will continue to work hard to secure hard-fought results throughout SEC Play."

In the 43rd minute, the Bulldogs extended their lead as Ally Perry seized an opportunity in the box, capitalizing on a miscommunication among Tennessee players and slotting a close-range shot into the net.

Johnson, now with three goals on the season, was not done getting in on the scoring action just yet as she opened the scoring in the second half, sending a perfectly placed header into the side net off a serve from the duo of Macey Hodge and Haley McWhirter in the 54th minute to make it 3-nill Dawgs.

Sizzy Lawton ignited the comeback for Tennessee with a goal in the 72nd minute and Jordan Fusco followed suit in the 77th. Tennessee benefited from an own goal by State in the 86th minute to pull even at 3-3.

"Just a physical game end to end. A lot of energy from both sides," said MSU coach James Armstrong. "Playing the number 12 school in the country, scored three goals with 23 shots, that is a really good attacking display. I thought defensively we were great as well. We just need to learn how to close out a game."

The Bulldogs will return to the pitch on Thursday night when they travel to Gainesville for a matchup with Florida. The match is slated for a 5:00 kick and will be streamed via SEC Network Plus.