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The University of Mississippi Athletics
Ole Miss
Arkansas
Soccer Set for Quarterfinal Against Arkansas at The Beach
10/29/2018 | Soccer
Rebels and Razorbacks Meet Up for Tournament Rematch
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#5 OLE MISS (12-6-1) vs. #5 ARKANSAS (11-4-3) Tuesday, Oct. 30 • 7:30 p.m. • Orange Beach, Ala. Orange Beach Sportsplex (1,500)  |
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| Watch • Live Stats • Ole Miss Match Notes • Arkansas Match Notes | ||||||||
KICKERS
• Ole Miss has received a bid to the SEC Tournament for the fourth-straight seasons and 19th-time in 22 seasons. The Rebels have earned a first-round bye for the first time since 2015.
• Ole Miss is coming off of a 1-0 win on Senior Day in Oxford, snapping No. 7 Vanderbilt's 16-match unbeaten streak and handing the SEC Regular Season Champions their first loss in league play.
• Based on their performances in the win over Vandy, Ole Miss freshmen Morgan McAslan and Haleigh Stackpole were named the SEC Defensive Player and Freshman of the Week, respectively.
• Stackpole scored the lone goal of the match Thursday, registering her fourth game-winner of the season.
• McAslan and the Rebels have registered three-straight shutouts, the longest streak in SEC play since a three-match run in 2015. It is the longest clean sheet streak to end the regular season for Ole Miss since 2011.
• Senior midfielder CeCe Kizer finished the regular season as the SEC leader in goals (13), assists (8) and points (34). Kizer is just the second player since 2005 to lead the conference in both goals and assists during the regular season. Kizer ranks fifth in the nation in points, 11th in goals and 22nd in assists.
• Tuesday's match is a rematch of last season's first round SEC Tournament affair between Ole Miss and Arkansas. The Razorbacks came out on top in that meeting, eliminating the Rebels 1-0.
• Ole Miss and Arkansas met up earlier this season in Oxford, with Ole Miss defeating the Razorbacks 3-1 behind goals from Lonnie Mulligan, Channing Foster and CeCe Kizer.
• Ole Miss leads the all-time series against Arkansas 17-6-2 thanks to an 11-match winning streak from 1997-2007. Last season's meeting in Orange Beach is the only previous SEC Tournament match between the two sides.
SCOUTING ARKANSAS
The fourth-seeded Razorbacks come into the SEC Tournament with an 11-4-3 overall record, having their three-match unbeaten streak snapped in Thursday's regular season finale 3-0 by Florida. Arkansas finished the regular season 6-2-1 in their final nine contests, with one of the Razorbacks' two losses coming to the Rebels in Oxford. Arkansas has been far less effective this season when playing away from Fayetteville, posting a 2-4-2 record in away and neutral-site matches, compared to a 9-0-1 home record.
Arkansas is led in scoring by junior forward Tori Cannata and junior midfielder Kayla McKeon, who have each scored seven times this season and added in a pair of assists. While sophomore midfielder Taylor Malham has gotten in on the scoring with three goals on the year, she has primarily been a playmaker for the Razorbacks, tying for the SEC lead with eight assists in 2018. Junior midfielder/forward Stefani Doyle is another player to look for in distributions, posting six assists.
Sophomore goalkeeper Rachel Harris started the bulk of Arkansas's non-conference matches but since SEC play started it has been almost all sophomore Taylor Beitz. Beitz has allowed 10 goals in 11 matches this season, registering a 1.05 goals against average with four shutouts and a .815 save percentage. In her eight appearances, Harris has surrendered 10 goals for a 1.25 GAA with a .730 save percentage.
SERIES HISTORY - ARKANSAS
Following its win over the Razorbacks earlier this season, Ole Miss leads the all-time series with Arkansas 17-6-2, with the two teams alternating each of the past five matches. The Razorbacks won the first two meetings ever against the Rebels in 1995 and 1996 but from there the Rebels won 11-straight matchups with Arkansas to seize control of the series. The Rebs and Hogs have met up in the SEC Tournament just once, with Arkansas eliminating Ole Miss in the first round a season ago by a 1-0 score line.
LAST MEETING - ARKANSAS (10/7/18)
OXFORD, Miss. - Facing an Arkansas team that came into the match having won four-straight SEC affairs, Ole Miss jumped all over the Razorbacks right from the word go on the way to a 3-1 Rebel victory at the Ole Miss Soccer Stadium.
After two excellent chances for Sydney Michalak were turned away by Arkansas keeper Taylor Beitz, true freshman Lonnie Mulligan put the Rebels ahead with a jaw-dropping strike from long range.
Ella Frischknecht put the Rebels on the counter with a nice ball out of the back to CeCe Kizer before Kizer slipped a through ball onto the path of a charging Mulligan. The Hattiesburg native made an exquisite hit first time, crushing her shot off the underside of the bar, into the ground, back up into the bar and in for quite possibly Ole Miss' goal of the season.
The Rebels took a 1-0 lead into the break and just a few minutes into the second half, Channing Foster doubled the Ole Miss advantage. Foster gathered in a Kizer pass inside the box, setup her left foot and curled a shot inside the near post from 10 yards out.
The Razorbacks drew within a goal in the 82nd minute but just moments later, Kizer dispelled any thoughts of a comeback. Breaking on a counter in the 84th-minute, the senior blasted a shot past Beitz on the near-side, restoring the two-goal advantage and locking up three points for the Rebels.
PACK YOUR BAGS, WE'RE GOING TO "THE BEACH"
Not only has Ole Miss earned a bid to the SEC Tournament for a fourth-straight season, but with their 1-0 victory over Vanderbilt the Rebels secured a first-round bye for the first time since 2015. The Rebels have earned an SEC Tournament bid in 19-of-22 seasons in their history, qualifying for the conference tournament in each of the program's first 13 seasons. Ole Miss is looking to buck a recent trend, seeking its first win in Orange Beach since 2013.
REBELS HAND 'DORES FIRST SEC LOSS
Entering Thursday's match, No. 7 Vanderbilt hadn't lost since the season's opening match and were undefeated in SEC play. That all changed on a wet and soggy night in Oxford as Ole Miss pulled out a 1-0 slugfest against the Commodores. Freshman Haleigh Stackpole scored the game-winner, placing her free kick from 23 yards out through the VU wall and inside the near post. The Rebel defense went to work from there, surrendering 17 shots on the night but just four on goal to secure the win. The win over the seventh-ranked Commodores is tied for the biggest upset in program-history, matching the 3-2 overtime win over No. 7 Florida in 2009.
McASLAN, STACKPOLE GARNER SEC WEEKLY AWARDS
Following Ole Miss' monumental 1-0 victory over No. 7 Vanderbilt on Senior Day Thursday in Oxford, the Rebels picked up a pair of SEC weekly awards on Friday. Freshman goalkeeper Morgan McAslan was named the SEC Defensive Player of the Week, while midfielder Haleigh Stackpole was selected as the league's freshman of the week. McAslan became just the third keeper all season to hold the Commodores scoreless, making a trio of saves and countless other important catches off her line. Meanwhile, Stackpole provided the game-winning goal in the match and was also a key cog in the defensive effort from her holding midfielder position. The five weekly awards this season are tied for the most in a single season for Ole Miss.
McAslan has been in excellent form to close out the season, registering back-to-back-to-back clean sheets in the regular season's final three matches. She is the first keeper for the Rebels with three-straight shutouts in conference play since Kelly McCormick in 2014.
Stackpole's free kick goal on Thursday was the fourth game-winner of the season for the freshman, representing 80-percent of her five tallies for the season. That mark is tied for the third-most this season in the SEC.
FINISHING STRONG
Over the past three matches, Ole Miss has registered wins over Kentucky, then-No. 25 Mississippi State and No. 7 Vanderbilt to close out the regular season. It is the longest winning-streak to finish the regular season for Ole Miss since a similar three-match streak in 2011. That year, the three wins came over Kentucky, Mississippi State and Vanderbilt.
