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The University of Mississippi Athletics
Ole Miss
13-4-2, 4-3-2SEC
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Mississippi State
8-8-3, 2-5-2SEC
Ole Miss Dominates State in Scoreless Tie
10/31/2003 | Soccer
Oct. 31, 2003
Final Stats
OXFORD, Miss. - For the second time in three matches, Ole Miss dominated a soccer match only to earn a scoreless tie. The Rebels outshot Mississippi State 31-7 Friday night but failed to score a goal in the battle for the Magnolia Cup.
Ole Miss (13-4-2, 4-3-2 SEC) maintains possession of the traveling trophy with the tie.
In front of a crowd of 1,277, the Rebels fired numerous close calls over the 110 minutes, including 15 shots on goal led by Karen Hall's three blocked attempts. Elise Karlowicz ripped an overtime shot off the cross bar, while Megan Mattei nearly connected twice in the extra periods.
Collecting the 15 saves for Mississippi State (8-8-3, 2-5-2) was freshman Luisa Marzotta, who turned away three attempts in the second overtime alone.
Rebel senior Brittany Gillespie totaled four saves in her final match at Ole Miss Soccer Stadium, and notched the team's 11th shutout of the season.
The Halloween grudge match marked the Rebels' third consecutive double-overtime match and third straight without a goal. Included in that stretch is a 0-0 result with South Carolina that saw Ole Miss post a 30-4 shot advantage.
"This is the first time we've experienced a scoring drought like this," said Rebel head coach Steve Holeman. "It's not just a scoring drought, but one in which we've had 80 shots in the last three games."
"I think what has happened is that teams have respected us because, prior to two weeks ago, we led the entire SEC in scoring. We're a scoring team, and because of that and our ability to possess, teams have started playing us in more of a defensive posture. They've defended us well, played with numbers behind the ball and made it very difficult for us to score.
"The other side of the explanation is we've had enough opportunities to score many goals. Someone just needs to take the responsibility to finish."
Ole Miss wraps up the regular season second in the SEC Western Division and now awaits next week's SEC Tournament in Orange Beach, Ala. The Rebels are seeded fourth in the Tournament, marking the second straight year Ole Miss finished top four in the conference overall. The Rebels are the only Western Division team to make seven straight SEC Tournament appearances.
"We feel good about the tournament," Holeman said. "It would have been real disappointing tonight if we had played poorly, but for the past three or four games, we've been playing really well. It's not reflected in our results but we've been possessing the ball extremely well. We've been creating tons of opportunities, and we feel very confident going into the SEC Tournament."
Ole Miss celebrated Senior Night Friday, and in a pre-game ceremony, honored the Rebel senior class of Courtney Biddle (Pittsburgh), Erin Edmundson (Raleigh, N.C.), Brittany Gillespie (Modesto, Calif.), Heather Lea Hopson (Tupelo) and Amy Sample (Crestwood, Ky.).
Mississippi State (8-8-3, 2-5-2 SEC) vs. Ole Miss (13-4-2, 4-3-2 SEC) Date: Oct 31, 2003 Attendance: 1277 Weather: Clear and pleasant ------------------------------------------------------ Mississippi State........ 0 0 0 0 - 0 Ole Miss................. 0 0 0 0 - 0
Shots: Mississippi State 7, Ole Miss 31 Saves: Mississippi State 15 (Luisa Marzotto 15), Ole Miss 4 (Brittany Gillespie 4)
