Mississippi State’s Tappe earns SEC defensive honor

Mississippi State defender Chiara Tappe was named SEC Defensive Player of the Week on Monday after scoring the winning goal in the Bulldogs’ upset of No. 6 Alabama.

The goal was the first official one of Tappe’s career. She had scored earlier this season in a match that was abandoned because of inclement weather and did not count as an official result. With three assists earlier in the season, Tappe has five points, the most among Mississippi State defenders.

Tappe also helped the Bulldogs record their ninth shutout of the season, their sixth in SEC play and fourth against a ranked opponent. She won 73% of her duels against Alabama, according to Wyscout analytics.

Mississippi State has won or drawn six of its last seven matches against top-10 teams. The program also went unbeaten against ranked opponents in a season in which it faced at least three ranked teams for the first time, according to the school.

The award is Tappe’s first weekly SEC honor and Mississippi State’s second this season. Kati Anne Shepherd was named SEC Freshman of the Week in September after scoring the winning goal at Ole Miss. The Bulldogs have had a player named SEC Defensive Player of the Week in each of the last four seasons and have earned multiple weekly conference awards in every season since 2020.

Mississippi State (9-2-6, 3-1-6 SEC) is the No. 8 seed in the SEC Tournament in Pensacola, Florida. The Bulldogs are scheduled to play No. 9 seed Texas in the first round Sunday, Nov. 8. The calendar lists kickoff for 4:30 p.m. Central on the SEC Network.

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