Heydari's Two Goals Keeps MSU Soccer Perfect
STARKVILLE, Miss. - Freshman Honeye Heydari continued the stellar start to her career, scoring twice as Mississippi State stayed unbeaten with a 3-0 win against Georgia State Sunday afternoon at the MSU Soccer Field.
Heydari captured her first multiple-goal game as the Bulldogs improved to 5-0-0 on the season. The Jackson, Tenn., native added a point in her fifth-straight match, a mark that ties her for second in school history.
She scored the game-winner three minutes in, and then combined with Sullivan for goals 20 seconds apart in the second half, the second-fastest consecutive goals in school history.
"My mentality was to work hard and do my best. Everything fell into place. We were clicking as a team and playing great. I'm just trying to do my best out there, and I can't do it without my teammates," Heydari said.
Sullivan netted her fifth goal of the season in the second half, and she tied the school record for consecutive games with a goal as she scored for the fourth-straight contest.
Sophomore Dana Forbes set a new career high for assists with two. Shannen Jainudeen and freshman Caitlin Maloney joined her in the assists column.
State continued its stellar defending, posting a shutout for the third-straight match. Skylar Rosson made five saves to register the ninth blank sheet of her career, two back of the school record set by Taryn Holland.
"I thought we were very organized against a good, hard-tackling Georgia State team," Neil Macdonald said. "You have to match their enthusiasm, and once we did that, we took control because of our ability with the ball.
"I'm extremely proud of our team. Their attitudes have been fantastic and consistent, and it's paying off," Macdonald said. "There's great leadership on this team."
Heydari wasted no time netting the winner, tallying her fourth goal of the year in the third minute. Forbes worked down the right wing and found the Jackson, Tenn., native in the middle of the 18-yard box. Heydari made a move past her defender and fired the ball into the net for a 1-0 advantage that State would take to half.
Georgia State (1-3-0) came out looking for the quick equalizer in the second half, but Sullivan and Heydari put the game away with their back-to-back goals.
Sullivan gave MSU a 2-0 lead in the 54th minute as she took a Jainudeen pass and fired a goal into the top shelf from the top of the 18-yard box.
The Bulldogs turned a GSU turnover on the ensuing kickoff into the final goal of the game. Jainudeen intercepted a pass and found Forbes at the midfield stripe. Forbes passed back to Maloney for a service to the feet of Heydari. Heydari took a touch past her defender and beat Ingram to the top post.
Mississippi State claimed a 14-10 advantage in shots and a 6-5 edge in on-goal chances. The Bulldogs also took four corner kicks in the contest.
Ingram made two saves before leaving the match with an injury. Rebecca Toler played the final four minutes, making one stop.
Mississippi State closes the non-conference slate next weekend, hosting Mississippi Valley State at 7 p.m. Friday and Southern Mississippi in a 7 p.m. kick Sunday.
Fans can follow Bulldog soccer on Twitter (www.twitter.com/mstateSOC) and Facebook (www.facebook.com/mstateSOC).
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