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The University of Mississippi Athletics
Ole Miss and State Face Off in Halloween Soccer Battle
10/30/2003 | Soccer
Oct. 30, 2003
| Rebel Radio Broadcast | OleMissSports.tv Webcast
OXFORD, Miss. - The Magnolia Cup will be on the line as Ole Miss and Mississippi State face off on the soccer field Friday in the Rebels' regular-season finale. The Halloween night grudge match is set for 7 p.m. CT at Ole Miss Soccer Stadium.
Friday will also serve as Senior Night at Ole Miss, and honored in a pre-game ceremony will by the five Rebel seniors - Courtney Biddle (Pittsburgh), Erin Edmundson (Raleigh, N.C.), Brittany Gillespie (Modesto, Calif.), Heather Lea Hopson (Tupelo) and Amy Sample (Crestwood, Ky.).
The Rebels (13-4-1, 4-3-1 SEC) took first control of the Magnolia Cup with a 1-0 win over the Bulldogs in the inaugural battle for the traveling trophy last April. The Cup is up for grabs at each meeting between the in-state rivals whether during the fall or the exhibition season in the spring.
"This is a game we always look forward to," said Ole Miss head coach Steve Holeman. "We have a lot to play for, and it's always competitive. We hope to see a big crowd for our final home match of the season."
Despite an 0-1-1 weekend last time out, Ole Miss wrapped up the program's seventh straight SEC Tournament berth, a feat accomplished by no other Western Division team.
The Rebels nearly pulled off their greatest upset Sunday, taking sixth-ranked Florida to double overtime before falling 1-0. Gillespie totaled nine saves in goal to lead a Rebel defense that had recorded 231 consecutive minutes without a goal, including a scoreless tie with South Carolina on Friday. The double-overtime blanking of the Gamecocks extended Ole Miss' season record shutout total to 10.
Despite its most momentous win as a program last weekend, Mississippi State (8-8-2, 2-5-1 SEC) has been mathematically eliminated from SEC Tournament contention. The Bulldogs upended Florida last Friday, 1-0, in its first ever victory over a top-10 opponent. The win was enough to push MSU into the Central Region rankings in a tie for 10th, three spots behind the Rebels.
After a 6-13-1 finish a year ago, State forged to the .500 mark this season on the strength of a freshman tandem. Midfielder Heidi Ondra has guided the offensive effort with a team-high six goals, while goalkeeper Luisa Marzotto tops the SEC in saves with 92.
"We know State will be well coached and well organized," Holeman said. "They are strong defensively, and have one of the best keepers in the conference. It should be tough for us to score."
Ole Miss controls the all-time series 5-3-1 and has lost only once in the last seven encounters. The last meeting in Oxford - a double-overtime Bulldog win in 2001 - attracted 1,791 fans in what is believed to be the largest crowd ever to watch a soccer match in the state of Mississippi.