Soccer Travels To Dallas To Face SMU And TCU

OXFORD, Miss. A trip to Dallas, Texas, awaits the Ole Miss soccer team this weekend, with the Rebels slated to square off with SMU on Friday at 7 p.m. and TCU on Sunday at 1 p.m.

Steve Holeman’s squad is looking to bounce back from a road defeat in its season opener. The Rebels dominated defending Sun Belt Champion Western Kentucky with a 15-6 shots lead in regulation, but a 1-1 tie after 100 minutes forced double overtime, where the Lady Toppers came up with the golden goal for a 2-1 WKU win.

“The Western Kentucky game was an early-season wake-up call for us,” Holeman said. “We have put that game behind us and are moving forward. The girls are re-energized and looking forward to an important game with SMU on Friday. I think we learned some valuable lessons and we will see a new team ready to compete and get that first win.”

Senior midfielder Jennifer Hance scored the Ole Miss goal in last Friday’s opener on an assist from senior defender Christine Breaux. It was Hance’s 18th career goal, which is the 10th-highest total in school history, three shy of Karen Hall (2001-04) for ninth place.

A perennial power in Conference USA, SMU kicked off its season this past Saturday with a 3-0 loss to No. 23 Oklahoma State. The Mustangs return former All-America goalkeeper Ashley Gunter among seven returning starters from last year’s 9-7-1 squad.

TCU started its season in fine fashion last Friday, getting a 5-0 shutout win over 2007 NCAA Tournament team Stephen F. Austin in both teams’ season opener. Freshman Jordan Calhoun and junior Lizzy Karoly each netted two goals for the Horned Frogs, who return 16 letterwinners and 10 starters from last year’s team that finished 8-11 and sixth place in the Mountain West Conference.

“We will face two quality programs this weekend,” Holeman said of the Texas teams. “These games take on a greater significance with all of us being in the same region, and both SMU and TCU have done very well within the region. We will certainly need to bring our best on Friday and Sunday.”

Ole Miss has faced each team once before. The Rebels dropped a tight 3-2 match to SMU in Oxford two years ago, while they claimed a 2-0 victory over TCU in a neutral-site contest back in 2001.

The Rebels will play in front of their home crowd for the first time in 2008 next weekend with a 7 p.m. Friday tilt with Memphis at the Ole Miss Soccer Stadium. Individual game tickets are $5 for adults and $3 for children. Ole Miss students receive free admission by showing a valid ID. For season ticket packages, contact the Ole Miss Ticket Office at 662-915-7167.

The University of Mississippi Athletics

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