Game Notes in PDF Format OXFORD, Miss. With a chance to claim its second straight Southeastern Conference Western Division title and to move up in seeding for the SEC Tournament, the Ole Miss soccer team will travel to in-state rival Mississippi State for a 7 p.m. match on Friday in both teams’ regular-season finale.
Ole Miss (7-6-5, 3-2-5 SEC) currently sits in second place in the SEC West behind Auburn. A Rebel victory on Friday combined with a Tiger loss or tie against Alabama would give Ole Miss its second consecutive SEC West crown and fourth in program history.
The Rebels have found it difficult to score a goal since a 4-0 victory over Alabama on Oct. 8. Facing four of the better defenses in the country, the Rebels have been held scoreless in four consecutive matches for the first time in school history, including a 1-0 overtime defeat at No. 17 Florida, a 0-0 tie at South Carolina, a 2-0 loss at Vanderbilt and a 0-0 draw vs. Kentucky.
“I don’t think it’s been a matter of not having opportunities,” said Ole Miss head coach Steve Holeman. “We’ve created a lot of chances, but the last four games we have not capitalized. We just need to put the ball in the net.”
Ole Miss may be able to produce a score against a much-maligned Bulldog defense. Mississippi State (2-15, 1-9 SEC) has not posted a shutout this season and has surrendered 27 goals in 10 conference matches.
The Rebels have been led by their defense in SEC play. Ole Miss ranks first in the league with a 0.45 goals-against average mark and tied for first with Kentucky with six shutouts and five goals allowed. For the second straight season, Rebel goalkeeper Ann Shelton leads the SEC in goals-against average with a 0.46 mark in league play. Shelton moved past current assistant coach Melinda Smith on the all-time career shutouts list after posting her 15th career blank against Kentucky on Sunday.
The Bulldogs from Starkville have dropped eight straight matches after upsetting eighth-ranked Tennessee 3-2 on Sept. 24. Junior Canadian Treena Ferguson has scored seven goals to lead the Bulldog attack.
Ole Miss holds the edge in the all-time series 5-4-3, but has not defeated Mississippi State since 2002, including a 1-1 tie after a late Bulldog score last year when the Rebels were ranked No. 23 in the nation.
“Based on the importance of this game and what happened last year, I think our team is more motivated to play hard and beat Mississippi State than we’ve ever been,” Holeman said. “This right now is the biggest game of our season, and we will be ready.”
The top eight teams in the SEC standings at the conclusion of the regular season will advance to the conference tournament, which will be held Nov. 2-5 in Orange Beach, Ala.
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