Soccer Tours the Bluegrass State for Pair of Non-Conference Road Tilts

			OLE MISS (3-1-0, 0-0-0) at WKU (2-1-1, 0-0-0) Thursday, Sept. 5 • 7 p.m. • Bowling Green, Ky. WKU Soccer Complex
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			OLE MISS (3-1-0, 0-0-0) at MURRAY STATE (2-2-0, 0-0-0) Sunday, Sept. 8 • 2 p.m. • Murray, Ky. Cutchin Field
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QUICK KICKS
• Ole Miss is coming off of a sweep of its two matches during the 2019 Rebel Classic, defeating Southeast Missouri 2-0 on Thursday before recording a dramatic 3-2 overtime victory against Minnesota on Sunday.

• The Rebels fell behind 2-0 after 31 minutes against the Golden Gophers, halving the deficit a couple of minutes later and tying the match with just over 10 minutes to play in regulation. That sent the affair in extra time, where senior captain Gabby Little buried a golden goal with 25 seconds left on the clock to secure the victory.

• After falling out of the poll completely last week, Ole Miss returned to the receiving votes section of the United Soccer Coaches Poll, receiving seven votes.

• Ole Miss has had six different goal scorers in 2019, with Channing Foster leading the way with three scores. Foster is the only Rebel with multiple goals through the season's first four games.

• Sophomore Ashley Orkus has been solid in goal, posting a 1.19 goals against average with 14 saves. The Tennessee transfer has recorded a shutout in half of her four career starts between the posts.

• Foster's 23 shots are the most in the SEC, with Mo O'Connor sitting in second place with 18 attempts at goal. The Rebels easily pace the SEC in shots with 91, 11 ahead of second place Arkansas.

• The Rebels have also earned the most corner kicks in the league, racking up 45 services from the corner flags. Molly Martin's game-tying goal against Minnesota on Sunday was the Rebels' first goal from a corner this season.

• Ole Miss faced off against both WKU and Murray State in 2018 in Oxford. The Rebels defeated the Hilltoppers 4-0 before setting down the Racers 3-0.

SCOUTING WKU
Jason Neidell, the only coach in WKU history, is in his 19th season at the helm of the Hilltopper program. WKU sits at 2-1-1 after the first two weeks of the season, having defeated Belmont 5-0 in Bowling Green and Middle Tennessee State 1-0 on the road. Thursday's matchup will be WKU's second meeting with an SEC team, having secured a scoreless draw at Kentucky on Aug. 25.

The Hilltoppers are led in scoring by a pair of forwards in freshman Ansley Cate and junior Ashley Leonard, who have both found the back of the net a pair of times through four matches. In all, six players have been on the end of the Hilltoppers eight total goals, with sophomore midfielder Ambere Barnett recording an assist on half of them. In goal, senior Anne-Marie Ulliac has seen the majority of the time, starting all four matches and posting a 0.70 GAA with 19 saves.

SERIES HISTORY - WKU
The Rebels and Hilltoppers have met up three times in previous seasons, with the two sides splitting the all-time series at 1-1-1. Thursday's affair will be Ole Miss' first trip to Bowling Green since 2008, a 2-1 overtime loss for the Rebels. Ole Miss picked up its first win over WKU last season, setting aside the Hilltoppers 4-0 in Oxford.

LAST MEETING - WKU (8/19/18)
OXFORD, Miss. - Behind a hat-trick from CeCe Kizer, Ole Miss easily dispatched of WKU in an early season match at the Ole Miss Soccer Stadium, defeating the Hilltoppers 4-0.

After struggling to find the finish touch throughout the first half, Kizer broke through for Ole Miss just before the break, scoring a 43rd minute goal from the top of the 18 to put the Rebels up 1-0 heading into halftime.

With a lead in hand, Ole Miss continued to dominate proceedings in the second half and ultimately ran away with three scores following the break. Kizer doubled the lead in the 60th minute, converting a penalty before after a WKU hand ball in the box. Just over a minute later, an own goal put the Rebels up 3-0.

Kizer finished things off in fine fashion in the 72nd minute, running onto Channing Foster's pass out onto the right wing, dribbling around the charging WKU keeper and calmly firing into the vacant goal.

SCOUTING MURRAY STATE
The Racers are in their second season under the leadership of head coach Matt Lodge, who led Murray State to a 13-5-1 record in his first season, claiming the OVC Tournament Championship and advancing to the NCAA Championship. The Racers are 2-2 to start the season, earning wins over Samford and Indiana. Prior to Sunday's match with Ole Miss, MSU will take on Missouri on Thursday in Columbia, Missouri.

Last season's leading goal scorer for Murray State, senior forward Miyah Watford, leads the racers with four early goals. Junior forward Rebecca Kubin is the only other Racer with multiple goals, scoring twice, while freshman Lilly Strader and sophomore Abby Jones have also found the back of the net. Freshman Jenna Villacres has been the only Racer to appear in goal, posting a 1.90 GAA with 33 saves, registering one shutout.

SERIES HISTORY - MURRAY STATE
Ole Miss has been the victor in the only two previous meetings with Murray State, including a 3-0 victory at the Ole Miss Soccer Complex a season ago. The Rebels and Racers also faced off in Oxford in the First Round of the NCAA Championship in 2015, a 1-0 win for Ole Miss.

LAST MEETING - MURRAY STATE (8/26/18)
OXFORD, Miss. - Three different Rebels found paydirt as Ole Miss defeated a solid Murray State side 3-0 at the Ole Miss Soccer Stadium.

After forcing MSU keeper Alex Steigerwald into three early saves, the Rebels broke through in the 26th minute as CeCe Kizer slipped a pass into Haleigh Stackpole, who's run put her all alone in front of goal. The freshman made no mistake about it, placing the ball into the bottom corner to put the Rebs up 1-0.

Seven minutes following the halftime break, Channing Foster doubled the Rebel lead over her hometown team. The Murray, Kentucky native intercepted a pass in the attacking third, dodged a couple of defenders and sent in a low, curling shot that narrowly evaded Steigerwald's outstretched hand and tucked inside the far post.

The Rebels got a third in the 68th-minute thanks to some dazzling footwork from CeCe Kizer. The senior dribbled around a handful of defenders, leaving Racer after Racer in her wake before passing her shot past the charging keeper.

JUST HOLD ON, WE'RE GOING HOME
Kentucky native Channing Foster will be making a return to the Bluegrass State this week for a pair of matches with the Rebels, including a stop in her hometown of Murray. The Rebel junior starred for Graves County High School for her lone season at the high school level, scoring 31 goals in 14 matches on the way to all-state honors. If last season is any indication, the two-time All-SEC performer turns up her game when facing teams from her home state. In three matches against Kentucky teams last season, Foster scored three goals with one assist, including a brace in Ole Miss' 2-0 victory at Kentucky.

VENGEANCE IS SO SWEET
Ole Miss got some payback this past weekend in Sunday's 3-2 double overtime victory over Minnesota, repaying the Golden Gophers for a golden goal defeat last season in Minneapolis. After fallying behind by two goals 31 minutes into the match, the Rebels battled back to tie the affair with just over 10 minutes remaining in regulation. After proceedings were extended into extra time, Gabby Little scored the game winner with just 25 ticks left on the clock. In last season's meeting, Ole Miss jumped ahead to a 1-0 lead before the Gophers tied the game in the second half and ultimately scored a golden goal in the 109th minute.

FOSTER'S BRACE CLINCHES MOTT'S 100TH WIN
Channing Foster scored early and late last Thursday night against Southeast Missouri, leading the charge to Ole Miss' 2-0 victory over Southeast Missouri. It was the 100th win for Ole Miss under head coach Matt Mott in his 10th season at the helm of the Rebel program. The Rebels completely dominated the match, out-shooting the Redhawks 33-2, including 13-1 on shots on goal. Ole Miss also had 14 corner kick opportunities to just one for SEMO. Foster's brace was the fourth multi-goal performance of her career, matching her career high with nine shots on the night. In fact, the junior's three nine-shot matches are the most in a single contest for Ole Miss since Gretchen Harknett's 10 attempts against Northwestern State in 2016.

Keep up with all the latest news and information on the Rebels by following Ole Miss Soccer on Twitter at @OleMissSoccer, on Facebook at Facebook.com/OleMissSoccer, and on Instagram at Instagram.com/officialolemisssoccer. Also follow head coach Matt Mott on Twitter at @CoachMattMott.

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Players Mentioned

Channing Foster

CeCe Kizer

Gabby Little

Molly Martin

Mo O'Connor

Ashley Orkus

Haleigh Stackpole

The University of Mississippi Athletics