Rebels, Hurricanes To Tangle In Soccer Opener

OXFORD, Miss. Another highly anticipated Ole Miss soccer season gets underway Friday night when the Rebels welcome the Miami Hurricanes to town for the teams’ first ever meeting, set to kick off at 7 p.m. CT at the Ole Miss Soccer Stadium.

The Rebels will also host South Florida this weekend with a 1:30 p.m. contest on Sunday.

Fans will be treated to several promotions over the weekend, including Friday’s “Kroger Family Welcome Party” that includes free hot dogs for all fans and a Frisbee dog show by the Amazing Flyin’ K9’s at the half. On Sunday, fans are encouraged to “Take a Kid to the Game” as all kids get in free with a paid adult ticket. There will be free cotton candy and a moon walk during Sunday’s festivities.

Coming off a second-place finish in the SEC West in 2006, the Rebels welcome back nine starters and 18 letterwinners from last year’s squad, while adding a talented crop of freshmen to the mix. The team already looked strong in its preseason exhibition against Samford, cruising to a 3-0 win on Saturday.

“We’ve had some good preparation for the season so far,” said head coach Steve Holeman, whose Rebels were picked by the league coaches to repeat as SEC West runners-up. “Our preseason game allowed us to identify some concerns, and we’ll have those taken care of by Friday. The girls are motivated and energized and ready to get the season underway.”

Among the returnees are 2006 All-SEC selections Chrissy Strini, Jennifer Hance and Danielle Johnson.

A senior team captain, Strini is a two-time All-SEC first-team pick and became the program’s first All-American in 2005. The midfielder tied for first in the SEC with eight assists a year ago.

Hance returns after scoring six goals and adding four assists during her sophomore campaign. The midfielder/forward is a former SEC Freshman of the Year and Freshman All-America selection.

An all-around threat for the Rebels, Johnson enjoyed a rookie season that saw her receive Freshman All-America status as a defender a year ago. She also contributed five goals for the season.

Miami is coming off a 2006 campaign in which the Hurricanes went 7-1 in non-conference matches, but compiled a 1-8-1 league record in the rigorous Atlantic Coast Conference. Head coach Tricia Taliaferro’s Hurricanes return nine starters and 13 letterwinners from that squad, including senior goalkeeper Lauren McAdam and senior midfielder Sheuneen Ta.

“Miami is used to playing high-level competition in the top women’s soccer conference in the nation,” Holeman said. “They had one of the top recruiting classes in the country this year. They are very talented and present a big challenge for us.”

The South Florida Bulls are entering their first season under new head coach Denise Schilte-Brown. The team returns seven starters and 10 letterwinners from last year’s squad that compiled a 6-10-1 record and 3-8-0 mark in BIG EAST play. Schilte-Brown comes to USF after a successful seven-year stint with Virginia Commonwealth, having led the Rams to a pair of Colonial Athletic Association titles and two NCAA Tournament berths.

“South Florida has a new coaching staff that has been successful at previous stops,” Holeman said. “They will be well-organized, and it should be a very competitive game. They beat UCF 3-0 in the preseason, which is a really good result. It will complete a challenging opening weekend for us.”

The Rebels have not faced either Sunshine State team prior to this weekend’s upcoming matches. Ole Miss looks to improve on its 9-3 all-time record in season openers and its current streak of five straight season debut victories.

The University of Mississippi Athletics

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