Ole Miss-Mississippi State Soccer Notes

Oct. 30, 2001

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OLE MISS (9-8-1, 4-4 SEC) vs. MISSISSIPPI STATE (11-7, 4-4 SEC)
November 2 at 7 p.m. CT
OLE MISS SOCCER STADIUM (Oxford, Miss.)

It is not only a battle for bragging rights in the state of Mississippi but the SEC Western Division Championship game. Ole Miss and Mississippi State face off Friday night in Oxford with the winner clinching a share of the SEC West title and the No. 2 seed in the SEC Tournament, held November 8-11 in Baton Rouge, La. Should Auburn lose at Alabama Friday, the winner of the UM-MSU matchup wins the West crown outright. Ole Miss, who is vying for a third straight division title, controls the all-time series 3-2-1, and the two squads battled to a 0-0 outcome in last year's double-overtime tussle in Starkville. The tie secured the Rebels the West Championship outright while eliminating State from SEC Tournament contention. Both teams have nailed down tournament berths this season - the fifth straight for the Rebels and the first ever for the Bulldog program.

LAST WEEKEND: Ole Miss suffered its first SEC weekend sweep of the year with a pair of shutout losses to South Carolina and Florida last weekend. The 1-0 loss to the Gamecocks was the Rebels' sixth straight one-goal match. USC jumped ahead at the 86:00 mark, and Ole Miss narrowly missed tying the game when Lindley Beckman's corner kick set up Kristin Chapman in front of the goal for the shot and save with three seconds remaining.The 6-0 defeat to the Gators marked Ole Miss' first Sunday loss of the year and its worst defeat since a 9-1 loss to Florida during the 1998 season.

AGAINST THE MAGNOLIA STATE: Ole Miss is 7-3-1 all-time against schools from the state of Mississippi. Besides a 3-2-1 mark against MSU, the Rebels are 4-0 vs. Southern Miss and 0-1 vs. William Carey.

FROM THE MAGNOLIA STATE: The Ole Miss roster boasts four players from the state of Mississippi and three of the last four winners of the state Gatorade Player of the Year honor. Junior Kristin Chapman from Vicksburg picked up the accolade in 1998 and 1999, while freshman Mary Katherine Ulmer from Jackson accepted the honor in 2001. Also wearing the Rebel Red and Blue is freshman Ramey Rush from Meridian and sophomore Heather Wilemon from Tupelo.

INJURY BUG: The latest player to join the list of Rebel wounded is leading scorer Tiffany Weiss, who suffered a head injury in the second half vs. South Carolina. The sophomore forward did not play against Florida and is questionable for the remainder of the season. Ole Miss has already lost three of its members this season to torn anterior cruciate ligaments. Sophomore Erin Edmundson, who had started every game at defender over the last two seasons, tore her ACL late in the first half against Duquesne. She joined junior Megan Bowman, who went down in the Northern Arizona game, and freshman Kelly Renie, who suffered the injury in May and has missed the entire season.

CLOSE CALLS: Six of the Rebels' last seven matches have been decided by one goal, with four resulting in UM victories. Ole Miss has gone 5-4 in one-goal games this season with three of those wins coming in overtime. Ole Miss has played four overtime matches this year, tied for most in the SEC, and posted an impressive 3-0-1 record.

FORMER TEAMMATES: A number of players for both Ole Miss and Mississippi State have played on the same teams over their careers, either at the club or high school level. Here are a few of the players that will be facing former teammates in Friday's matchup:
Jackson Futbol Club (Miss.): Kristin Chapman (UM), Ramey Rush (UM), Kristen Selman (MSU), Mary Katherine Ulmer (UM)
D'Feeters Club (Texas): April Berry (MSU), Karen Hall (UM), Amber Meesey (MSU), Jesi Moore (MSU), Amy Van Zandt (MSU)
Fury Club (Tenn.): Laura Price (UM), Brie Wallace (MSU)
Tophat Club & Walton H.S. (Ga.): Liz Holder (UM), Jessica Kauffman (MSU)
Jackson Prep H.S. (Miss.): Kristen Selman (MSU), Mary Katherine Ulmer (UM)
Meridian H.S. (Miss.): Kate Ellmo (MSU), Ramey Rush (UM)
North Carolina ODP Team: Erin Edmundson (UM), Morgan McDonald (MSU)

The University of Mississippi Athletics

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