Soccer Opens SEC Play At Alabama Friday Night

Sept. 22, 2010

Game: Ole Miss (4-4-1) at Alabama (5-2)
Date: 9/24/10
Time: 7 p.m. CT
Location: Tuscaloosa, Ala.

QUICK HITS

Junior Dylan Jordan leads the team in points with 13 and in goals with six. Jordan has also tied her career high with six goals so far this season.

Freshman keeper Sarah Story has posted back-to-back shutouts for Ole Miss including her first career shutout against Southern Miss.

The Rebels ended their non-conference season 4-4-1 including a 3-1 record in its last four games.

Ole Miss will make its first of four TV appearances this Sunday versus Auburn (ESPNU) at 4 p.m. CT.

As a team, the Rebels are third in the SEC in corners (53), tied for third in shutouts (4) and is fourth in shots (145).

Dylan Jordan is tied for first in the SEC stats in goals (6) and game-winning goals (3). She is also third in shots (30) and fourth in points (13).

Ole Miss vs. Alabama
Ole Miss leads the all-time series with Alabama 10-6. The Rebels beat the Tide, 1-0, last year in Oxford for the last meeting between the two schools. Ole Miss has won the last five meetings between the two schools and has not lost to Alabama since the 2004 season when Alabama posted a 1-0 OT win in Tuscaloosa, Ala.

Scouting Alabama
Alabama ended its non-conference schedule with a 5-2 record and will open conference play Friday hosting Ole Miss. The Tide is led offensively by Brooke Rodgers who has recorded eight points on four goals. Keepers Justine Bernier and Shanna Brooks have each started and played in three games. Bernier has allowed one goal while Brooks has given up five. Alabama is coached by Todd Bramble who is in this third season with the Tide.

Rebels End Non-Conference Play 4-4-1
The Ole Miss soccer team closed out non-conference play with back-to-back wins over the weekend. The Rebels beat Southern Miss 3-0 on Friday night before beating TCU on Sunday, 1-0.

Last Time Out
Dylan Jordan scored the game-winning goal in the 42nd minute as Ole Miss beat TCU 1-0 on September 19. The Horned Frogs outshot the Rebels 18-15 in the match while Ole Miss held a 6-5 advantage in shots on goal. Erin Emerson led the Rebels with six shots while Jordan added four. Keeper Sarah Story posted five saved in the shutout, her second shutout of the weekend.

Rebels vs. Ranked Foes
Through its non-conference schedule, the Rebels faced two top-25 teams. Ole Miss fell to #8 Santa Clara 3-1 at the Inn at St. Mary's Classic hosted by Notre Dame. The Rebels hosted #20 Memphis, falling to the Tigers, 2-1.

Jordan, Story Earn SEC POW Honors
Dylan Jordan and Sarah Story earned their first SEC Player of the Week Honors of the year on September 20. Jordan was named SEC Offensive Player of the Week while Story was named SEC Freshman of the Week.

Freshmen Impact
Ole Miss' freshmen class is having quite an impact on the team this season. Three freshmen (goalkeeper Sarah Story, forward Mandy McCalla and midfielder Erin Emerson) are all starters this season. Story has posted two shutouts and is 3-1 in her last four starts. McCalla leads the team in assists (3) and is second in both points (7) and goals (2). Emerson has recorded three points this year on one goal and one assist.

Jordan Having A Breakout Season
Through nine games this year Dylan Jordan has already tied her career-high in goals in a season with six. She tied her game-highs for goals (2) and points (5) in a match during a win over McNeese State.

1st Road Game Coming Up
Ole Miss' game at Alabama on Friday will mark the Rebels' first true road game of the season. Through non-conference play, the Rebels only played two matches away from the Ole Miss Soccer Stadium but both matches were played at a neutral site. The team played both games in the Inn at St. Mary's Classic in South Bend, Ind.

Dominant Defense, Too
Ole Miss has recorded four shutouts this year including back-to-back shutouts heading into the Alabama game. The Rebels have allowed just three goals in its last four games. Goalkeepers Sarah Story and Allie Ronaldi have each posted two solo shutouts this season. The Ole Miss defense held Southern Miss without a shot on goal in the Rebels' 3-0 win.

Heads Up
Through its last four games at home, Ole Miss has scored 10 goals, five of which have been scored on headers. The Rebels scored on three headers against McNeese State, two off crosses and one off a corner kick. Against Southern Miss, Ole Miss scored two of its three goals on headers from crosses.

Offense Heating Up
Ole Miss has scored 10 goals in its last four matches and has taken the fifth-most shots in program history. Against McNeese State, the Rebels fired off 36 shots which is tied for the fifth-most shots in program history. Through its first five matches of the season, Ole Miss recorded three goals while allowing eight.

Jordan Leads Team In Game-Winners
Dylan Jordan has recorded a team-high three game-winning goals this season. Jordan has recorded the game winners against McNeese State, TCU and Middle Tennessee State.

Rebels In The SEC Stats
Dylan Jordan is tied for first in the SEC stats in goals (6) and game-winning goals (3). She is also third in shots (30) and fourth in points (13). Mandy McCalla is tied for fourth in shots (28) and is tied for seventh in assists (3). Sarah Story is ninth in goals against average (1.09) and is tied for ninth in shutouts (2).

Rebels On Television
Sunday's Auburn game, televised by ESPNU, will be one of four Rebel contests scheduled for live TV this season. Since the birth of SEC soccer in 1995, the Rebels have been among the league's most televised clubs. Prior to this season, Ole Miss has played in 16 televised matches, including a school-record three appearances last year. The Rebels are scheduled for at least four TV appearances this year - Sept. 26 at Auburn (ESPNU), Oct. 1 at South Carolina (Fox Soccer Channel), Oct. 10 vs. Tennessee (CSS) and Oct. 17 vs. Arkansas (FS South). The Ole Miss Soccer Stadium has previously hosted four TV broadcasts, including the championship game of the 2002 SEC Tournament. The Rebels' 1995 matchup at Arkansas was the first SEC soccer match on TV.

Ole Miss Picked Third In West By SEC Coaches
Ole Miss was predicted to place third in the SEC Western Division by the SEC soccer coaches in a preseason poll. The Rebels were picked third with 47 points, including two first-place votes, behind Auburn (61) and LSU (58). Florida was selected as the favorite to claim the 2009 SEC title and the Eastern Division crown.

T. Cunningham, Snow Tabbed Preseason All-SEC
Ole Miss senior Taylor Cunningham and junior Meredith Snow were named to the soccer coaches preseason All-SEC team. The honors are the first career Preseason All-SEC selections for both Cunningham and Snow.

2010 SEC Soccer Tournament
Entering the 2010 season, Ole Miss is one of just two league schools (Florida) to earn a berth in each of the last 13 SEC Tournaments. The Rebels have made four semifinals appearances and played in the 1999 championship match against the Gators. The top eight teams in the final regular-season standings advance to the tournament. The tournament's winner is granted an automatic bid into the NCAA Tournament. The SEC has hosted a postseason tournament every year since 1993. It returns for a seventh time to the Orange Beach Soccer Complex in Orange Beach, Ala., in 2010.

Up next for Ole Miss is a game at Auburn on Sunday at 4 p.m. The game will be televised by ESPNU.

The University of Mississippi Athletics

Related Videos