Ole Miss Soccer Kicks Off SEC Tournament On Wednesday

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ORANGE BEACH, Ala. The Ole Miss soccer team will make its 10^th consecutive Southeastern Conference Tournament appearance when the Rebels take on the Kentucky Wildcats on Wednesday at noon in the first match of the 2006 version in Orange Beach, Ala.

Ole Miss (8-6-5, 4-2-5 SEC) enters the tournament as the No. 7 seed, while the Wildcats (11-6-3, 6-3-2 SEC) are the No. 2 seed, despite the two teams being separated by just three points in the overall standings, 20-17.

“I think our team is really looking forward to playing in the SEC Tournament,” said Rebel head coach Steve Holeman. “Our team has been getting ready to play whoever we drew. We’re motivated by the fact that winning the tournament would be an automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament. At this point we just have to take it one game at a time and play our best against the team in front of us.”

The Wildcats are the most frequent opponent for the Rebels in the SEC Tournament. The two squads will meet for the fifth time on Wednesday. It will be their fourth meeting in the last five years.

Last year, Ole Miss was the second overall seed, and the seventh-seeded Wildcats came from behind to upset the Rebels 3-2 in overtime.

“Every time we have played Kentucky recently, it’s been a really close game, usually one-goal,” Holeman added. “We know we will have to bring our best against them. I don’t think this one will be any different from the rest of them. We know that they have one of the best defenses in the country and one of the best goalkeepers we’ve seen. Our challenge will be to finish any opportunities we create.”          

The two teams tied 0-0 after two overtimes earlier this season in Oxford.

The winner between Ole Miss and Kentucky will play the victor of the Auburn-Tennessee match in the second round on Friday.

Ole Miss has been led this year with a steady defense that ranks first in the league with a 0.41 goals-against average and tied for first with five goals allowed in 11 SEC matches.

Junior goalkeeper Ann Shelton tops the SEC with a 0.42 GAA in league play, while junior midfielder Chrissy Strini is tied atop the league with eight assists. The leading scorer for the Rebels all season has been senior forward Brittney Potts, who is tops on the team with seven goals and 16 points.

When discussing the best defenses in the SEC, one must include both the Rebels and the Wildcats. Kentucky leads the SEC with 13 shutouts on the season, while Ole Miss ranks tied for second with nine. The Wildcats have one more shutout than the Rebels in SEC play, as their marks of eight and seven lead the league. Kentucky leads the SEC with a 0.48 GAA and 10 goals allowed on the year.

Senior Wildcat goalkeeper Anne Ogundele has been a stellar performer in her final season. She leads the SEC with a 0.48 GAA and 13 shutouts. Freshman forward Giuleana Lopez is tied for third in the league with nine goals and 21 points to lead the Wildcat offensive attack.

The last time the Rebels entered the postseason as the No. 7 seed, they upset second-seeded Auburn, who was ranked No. 9 in the nation and was hosting the 2004 tournament, with a dominating 3-0 shutout performance.

After several years of rotating the conference tourney among host venues, including Oxford in 2002, the event has become a fixture in Orange Beach. The 2006 tournament will be the third held in Orange Beach, including 2003 and 2005 (the event was moved to Auburn in 2004 due to hurricane damage). Ole Miss and Kentucky have played in Orange Beach each year, with the Rebels taking a 2-1 victory in 2003 before dropping last year’s contest.

Ole Miss is 5-9 all-time in SEC Tournament play.

The University of Mississippi Athletics

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