STARKVILLE, Miss. –  Mississippi State fired 16 shots and Skylar Rosson matched her career high with 12 saves, but Tennessee came away with a 1-0 victory in double overtime Friday night at the MSU Soccer Field.

The deciding goal came two minutes into the final stanza. Caroline Brown took a pass on the left end line and fired a shot that found its way into the right side of the net for the winner.

State, playing its first overtime match of the season, fell to 7-7 overall and 0-5 in league play. Tennessee improved to 6-6-1, 3-1-1 in SEC action.

“When you consider that we had only been training in this new system for three days, I am very proud of our girls and the way they fought over the course of the game,” MSU coach Neil Macdonald said. “I was proud of the way they applied themselves offensively and defensively from start to finish. It’s a disappointing loss, but we are going to regroup and see if we can reproduce that kind of effort the rest of the season.”

Returning home for a six-match road trip, Mississippi State took the fight to the Lady Vols. Rosson stuffed the first shot she faced 10 minutes in, and State came right back with a Tarah Henderson attempt that was turned away by Molly Baird.

Baird finished with seven saves on the night in picking up her sixth decision of the year.

Kat Walsh paced the Bulldogs with three shots, and her first attempt came on a 13th-minute attempt that was saved by Baird.

Tennessee nearly broke the scoreless tie with a 29th-minute corner kick, but Rosson managed to knock away the header attempt by Anna Fisher.

State’s Kim Pettit had a shot saved 10 minutes later, and freshman Elisabeth Sullivan missed high on a shot in the 41st minute.

The two teams combined for 15 shots in the opening period, and the offensive explosion continued in the second period as 17 shots were taken.

“We had our chances tonight. I thought we played well from back to front,” Macdonald said. “The midfield was organized and picking up their runners. Our strikers moved and defended well. It was a good team performance all-around, and that’s what it takes at this level.”

Tennessee’s Emily Dowd had a scoring chance turned away 30 seconds into the half, and the Bulldogs countered only to see Walsh’s attempt saved by Baird.

The respective keepers stopped Monica Alvarado and Chelsea Hatcher attempts before State managed to turn away UT’s best opportunity on goal in the first 90 minutes. Tennessee sent a free kick into the box, and Rosson managed to stop point-blank attempts by Hatcher and Kylie Bono.

Hatcher and Alvarado each had chances to find the net in the final five minutes of the second half, but neither was able to convert and the match went to overtime.

Sullivan had a pair of opportunities in the first overtime, but one sailed high while Baird stopped the second with just under two minutes left to play.

MSU’s Morganne Grimes missed a golden-goal opportunity early in the final overtime period, and UT countered to claim the winner. An Emily Dowd shot deflected off the crossbar, but the Bulldogs were unable to clear the zone and Brown clinched the win 14 seconds later.

State hosts Georgia at 1 p.m. Sunday in the team’s annual Kick for the Cure. The first 100 fans to bring a coupon from MSU’s Soccer Facebook Page (www.facebook.com/MStateSOC) to the match receive a free t-shirt.


Tennessee6-6-1 (3-1-1 SEC) vs. Mississippi State7-7-0 (0-5-0 SEC)

 Date: Oct 08, 2010  Attendance: 347

 Weather: Clear skies, 85 degrees, Wind NNW at 7 mph


 Goals by period       1  2 OT O2  Tot

 -------------------------------------

 Tennessee...........  0  0  0  1 -  1

 Mississippi State...  0  0  0  0 -  0


 SCORING SUMMARY:

  1. 102:22 TN Caroline Brown (2) (Tanya Emerson;Emily Shore) - dribbled on the end line and hit the right side of the net.
 

 Shots: Tennessee 27, Mississippi State 16

 Saves: Tennessee 7 (Molly Baird 7), Mississippi State 12 (Skylar

 Rosson 12)