Soccer Facing MSU Friday Night on ESPNU

			OLE MISS (1-1-0, 1-1-0) vs. MISSISSIPPI STATE (0-0-2, 0-0-2) Friday, Oct. 2 • 7 p.m. • Oxford, Miss. Ole Miss Soccer Stadium
WATCH • LIVE STATS • OLE MISS NOTES (PDF) • MISSISSIPPI STATE NOTES (PDF) • SEC NOTES (PDF)

QUICK KICKS
• Ole Miss is coming off of a 1-0 victory over LSU in the season's first road test last Sunday. Saydie Holland scored the lone goal of the match off of a Haleigh Stackpole corner kick delivery. It was the first goal of the sophomore's career.

• The Rebels return home to face rival Mississippi State on Friday in the annual battle for the Magnolia Cup.

• Ole Miss is currently in the midst of a streak of six-consecutive years retaining the trophy, the longest streak by either side. The Rebels have maintained the Magnolia Cup in eight of the 10 years of the Matt Mott era to date.

• The match against the Bulldogs will be aired on ESPNU. It will be the third-straight national TV games to open the season for Ole Miss.

• Mississippi State enters the match undefeated but also winless in 2020, drawing both of its first two matches of the season against Auburn and Alabama.

• Ole Miss is 8-2-2 all-time against Mississippi State when playing in Oxford, winning each of the last six meetings at the Ole Miss Soccer Stadium.

• The Rebs and Bulldogs squared off twice in 2019, with the two sides fighting to a 1-1 draw in Starkville in the regular season before Ole Miss recorded a dramatic 2-1 victory in the SEC Tournament.

• Junior Haleigh Stackpole is the only current Rebel to have scored against MSU, tallying a goal in last season's battle.

SCOUTING MISSISSIPPI STATE
Entering the second year of the James Armstrong era, Mississippi State was picked to finish 11th in the SEC Preseason Coaches Poll after finishing 8-8-3 a year ago. The Bulldogs enter Friday's matchup with the Rebels undefeated but also winless with an 0-0-2 record after drawing each of their first two matches against Auburn and Alabama. MSU was less than a second away from dropping last week's meeting with Alabama, scoring the tying goal just before time expired to force extra time and eventually secure a point.

The Bulldogs have scored once in both matches in 2020, with junior midfielder Niah Johnson finding the back of the net against the Tigers and junior forward Hailey Ferrington-Bentil scoring the dramatic equalizer against the Crimson Tide. Johnson was one of four players to be named to the SEC Preseason Watch List, joined by junior defender Miranda Carrasco, sophomore forward Onyi Echegini and junior midfielder/forward Andrew Tyrrell.

Freshman goalkeeper Maddy Anderson has played all 220 minutes between the posts for Mississippi State this season, allowing two goals total, one in each match. Anderson has made eight total saves, including six in the 1-1 draw with Alabama. For her efforts against the Crimson Tide, Anderson was named the SEC Defensive Player of the Week for Week 2.

SERIES HISTORY - MISSISSIPPI STATE
Ole Miss and Mississippi State have met up a total of 26 times in the 25-year history of their rivalry on the soccer pitch, with Ole Miss controlling the series with a 15-6-5 record all-time against the Bulldogs. The Rebels have been particularly successful in recent years in the series, losing just twice in the last 15 years while winning five of the last seven and 10 of the last 15 meetings. Ole Miss is 8-2-2 all-time against Mississippi State in Oxford, currently riding a six-game home winning streak against MSU. The two sides squared off twice a season ago, drawing 1-1 in Starkville during the regular season before Ole Miss pulled out a 2-1 win at the SEC Tournament.

LAST MEETING - MISSISSIPPI STATE (11/3/20)
OXFORD, Miss. - A Senior Day has rarely been as successful as it was for Ole Miss on Sunday as the Rebels took LSU to task in a 4-0 clobbering at the Ole Miss Soccer Stadium.

On a day in which Ole Miss celebrated the careers of Julia Phillips and Gabby Little, the Rebels were clicking on all cylinders, keeping the Tigers on their heels. The ball lived in the attacking third for the Rebels for nearly the entire match as the Rebs racked up 29 total shots, including 13 attempts on frame.

As is often the case for Ole Miss, Channing Foster was the primary catalyst, peppering the goal with eight shots and four on goal. Foster and Haleigh Stackpole each finished with three points, both collecting a goal and an assist in the affair.

While she wasn't tested too often on Sunday, Rebel keeper Ashley Orkus was up to the task whenever the Tigers did manage to get forward, finishing with four saves on the night.

The Rebels got off to a flying start, with Madison Smith heading home Stackpole's corner delivery just five minutes in. From there, the route was on.

Mo O'Connor doubled the lead in the 13th minute, hitting Foster's square ball into the middle of the 18 first time and drilling the ball into the right side of the goal. Foster got on the scoring sheet just 10 minutes later, taking Molly Martin's feed and curling the ball in from short range.

Stackpole rounded out scoring for the half in the 35th minute, collecting the ball near midfield, dribbling forward and slotting a shot perfectly into the bottom corner.

The Rebels had plenty of chances to add on in the second half, including a pair of long-range shots that found the woodwork, but the four first half tallies were more than enough to close out the victory over the Tigers.

THE MAGNOLIA CUP
While on the gridiron the Rebel and Bulldogs play for the Golden Egg, when it comes to the beautiful game Ole Miss and Mississippi State have played for the Magnolia Cup since its introduction in 2003. Since the trophy's inception, Ole Miss is 9-3-4 against the Bulldogs during the regular season and has maintained control of the Magnolia Cup for each of the last six years, the longest streak for either side.

MAGNOLIA STATE MASTERY
Since Ole Miss began its soccer program in 1995, the Rebels have owned the Magnolia State. The Rebs have posted a 28-7-5 record all-time against in-state foes and have not lost to a fellow Mississippi program in any of the last nine meetings. During the Matt Mott era the Rebels have faced off against in-state competition 15 times, posting an 11-2-2 record. In fact, outside of Mississippi State Ole Miss holds a 13-1-0 record against Magnolia State teams, with the lone loss coming to William Carey in the Rebels' inaugural season.

HOLLAND HEADS REBS PAST TIGERS
Playing on the road for the first time in 2020, Ole Miss earned three key points in Baton Rouge with a hard-fought 1-0 victory over LSU in Week 2. After the Tigers maintained control through the early part of the contest, Ole Miss took over and dominated the pace of play for the final 30 minutes or so of the first half, taking the half's final seven shots. Nonetheless, the two sides were forced to hit the halftime break deadlocked in a scoreless tie. Ole Miss again came out of the gates strong in the second stanza and in the 58th minute Saydie Holland rose high and headed home Haleigh Stackpole's corner kick delivery for the first goal of the sophomore's career. The Rebels were able to see out the final 32 minutes of play, earning an important victory away from home.

WE OVER ME
Every year, the members of the Ole Miss soccer senior class come together to create a motto for that season's team. This year, the Rebels are rallying behind the "We Over Me" mindset, the idea that no single person is bigger than the team and that the entire group of 25 must work together in order to accomplish the team's goals. A specially designed "We Over Me" logo has been created and features in various areas such as warm up gear and the Ole Miss Soccer Stadium videoboard.

OLE MISS ANNOUNCES SOCCER ATTENDANCE POLICY
Due to social distancing as well as health and safety policies on campus, soccer matches at the Ole Miss Soccer Stadium will look a little different in 2020. Based on the current state executive order, capacity in the grand stand has been limited to no more than 25 percent of capacity. In order to maximize the number of fans who will be allowed in attendance, a "pod" system has been implemented, with pods limited to groups of two or four members of a family or household. After the player guest pass list has been fulfilled for both the home and visiting teams, attendance options will be offered to a select group of fans through the Ole Miss Kicker Club and the Rebel Rewards App. Priority will be given based on each person's Kicker Club giving level or Rebel Rewards status. Due to social distancing restrictions, attendance will not be offered to the general public.

Additionally, face coverings are required when entering, exiting and moving about the stadium and are suggested when in the seating area, and tailgating is prohibited on campus.

OLE MISS SLOTTED 8TH IN SEC PRESEASON POLL
For the second consecutive season, Ole Miss has been predicted to finish eight in the league in the SEC Preseason Coaches Poll. The prognostication was right on the money in 2019, with the Rebels finishing in a tie for eighth-place with Auburn and Mississippi State with a 3-4-3 league record. However, in recent years the conference coaches have undervalued the Rebs, with Ole Miss outperforming its preseason ranking in five of the last eight seasons.

THREE'S COMPANY
For years Ole Miss has been known for having some of the more potent attacking groups in the Southeastern Conference, something that still rings true in 2020. In fact, Ole Miss' top scoring trio of seniors Channing Foster and Molly Martin and junior Haleigh Stackpole give the Rebels the league's second highest scoring threesome with 47 career goals among them, behind only Arkansas. This is in part thanks to the prolific scoring career of Foster, who enters the year as the SEC's leading active scorer with 30 goals in her three seasons in Red and Navy. However, when teams load up on the 2019 First Team All-SEC forward, Martin and Stackpole are unafraid to pick up the slack, finding the back of the net seven and 10 times in their careers, respectively.

REBEL FIVE TABBED TO SEC PRESEASON WATCH LIST
The SEC announced its Preseason Watch List on Thursday, with Ole Miss' placing five players on the list in seniors Channing Foster and Molly Martin and juniors Sydney Michalak, Ashley Orkus and Haleigh Stackpole.

Foster, Stackpole and Martin combine often to provide a powerful punch to the potent Rebel attack, leading the team in career scoring with 30, 10 and seven goals, respectively. In fact, 56.3 percent of Ole Miss' scoring in 2019 came from one of the three playmakers, as well as 10 of 21 assists tallied a year ago. All three stepped up in clutch moments as well, bagging seven of the Rebels' 10 game winning goals.

On the other side of the field, Michalak and Orkus anchor the Rebel defense. Converting from a winger to the full back position last season, Michalak burst onto the scene in establishing herself as a lockdown defender. The native Floridian's lightning quick speed translated well from the offensive side to the defensive side of the pitch, primarily being matched up with opposing team's most dangerous attacking threat. Behind Michalak, Orkus made a stellar debut season in goal for Ole Miss. The Tennessee transfer started every second of the 2019 campaign, ranking second in the league with 86 saves while posting a 1.28 goals-against average and six clean sheets.

STRONGER TOGETHER
In early September, Ole Miss and 12 other institutions throughout the state of Mississippi announced the launching of the "Stronger Together" initiative to unite the state's athletics programs and communities in support of togetherness, diversity and equality.

During the 2020-21 academic year, college and university athletics programs in Mississippi will incorporate a special logo on their uniforms, equipment, warm-up gear or bags. The logo will serve as a visual representation of the state's schools coming together and will feature school-specific branding with the words "Stronger Together" inside the outline of Mississippi.

The campaign was created for the state's colleges and universities to come together, listen, learn and support student-athletes through their challenges, stresses and pressures related to events around the country. As part of the initiative, the schools will unite in their efforts to promote social justice and racial equality through advocacy, awareness and education.

REBS ADD PAIR OF IMPACT TRANSFERS
Over the years the Rebels have fared well when adding talent off of the transfer market and head coach Matt Mott is hoping to strike gold once again with a pair of experienced newcomers in Tyler Junior College product Marta Estupiñán and former Florida State Seminole Taylor Radecki.

Estupiñán, who originally hails from Canaries, Spain, is coming off of back-to-back NJCAA All-America seasons for the Apaches, anchoring the back line and helping TJC capture the 2019 NJCAA National Championship after a runner-up finish in 2018. Estupiñán, who was named the MVP of the NJCAA National Tournament, helped the Apaches to a 45-3-1 record during her two seasons, scoring five times and dishing out a pair of assists.

REBEL FRESHMEN NAMED GATORADE POTY
In June, the Gatorade Player of the Year was announced for each state, with two of Ole Miss' five freshmen honored in Lucy Green and Sydney Ham. The award, which recognizes not only outstanding athletic excellence, but also high standards of academic achievement and exemplary character demonstrated on and off the field, distinguished Green and Ham as their state's best high school soccer player.

Green, who is the first player for West Lauderdale High School to be named Mississippi's Gatorade Player of the Year, helped lead the charge to the Knight's fourth state championship in five years, scored seven goals and dished out 11 assists this past season. The Clarion Ledger First Team All-State honoree anchored a defense that posted 21 clean sheets and surrendered just seven goals on the season.

While Green shined in the defensive half of the pitch, Ham lit up the scoreboard in becoming Briarcrest Christian School's first Gatorade Player of the Year honoree. Capable in the midfield as well as up front as a striker, Ham spearheaded a 17-1-1 season for the Saints, culminating in a victory in the Tennessee State Championship Game. The Daily Memphian Player of the Year, Ham was selected to play in the prestigious High School All-American Game this past December.

GAS IN THE TANK
Over her first two seasons as a Rebel, junior Haleigh Stackpole has proven to have deep reserves when it comes to energy. The Fort Bragg, North Carolina native has been a fixture in the Ole Miss lineup ever since stepping foot on campus, starting all 42 matches of her collegiate career. Even more impressive, the box-to-box midfielder has hardly ever come off the field despite easily pacing the Rebels in distance ran every match, typically 9-10 miles. After ranking second on the team as a freshman at just over 84 minutes per match, Stackpole was subbed for just three total minutes in 2019, logging 1,899 minutes over 20 matches.

FOSTER ENTERS TOP 10
With 10 goals in 2019, Channing Foster cracked the top-10 on Ole Miss' all-time scoring list, finding the back of the net 30 times in her career to pull into a tie for seventh most with Jennifer Soileau, Regan Scanlon and Addie Forbus. With a potential to play two more seasons in Red and Navy, Foster sits 18 goals behind former teammate CeCe Kizer as the most prolific Rebel in history. The three-time All-SEC standout also has the opportunity to enter rarified air this season. If the Graves County High School product can make it a fourth-successive all-conference nod, she'll join Rebel great Danielle Johnson as just the second Ole Miss player to ever do so.

KIZER CAPTURES NWSL CHALLENGE CUP
In her second professional season, Ole Miss alum CeCe Kizer helped the Houston Dash collect some hardware this summer as the Houston Dash claimed the NWSL Challenge Cup. Kizer, the 13th overall selection in the 2019 NWSL Draft, played a pivotal role in the Dash' win over the Chicago Red Stars in the championship match, coming on early as a sub and playing the final 61 minutes of action. Kizer recently signed a two-year extension with the Dash and will compete with Norwegian Toppserien club Kolbotn IL on a loan spell through the rest of 2020.

FOLLOW THE REBS!
Fans can keep up with all the goings on around the Ole Miss soccer program by following the Rebels on the team's various social media platforms. You can find the Rebs on Twitter at @OleMissSoccer, on Instagram at @OfficialOleMissSoccer or on Facebook by search "Ole Miss Soccer".

NEXT UP
Following the battle for the Magnolia Cup, Ole Miss hits the road for the first of two-straight trips to the Yellowhammer State, taking on Auburn on Oct. 11 at 2 p.m. before travelling to Tuscaloosa for a matchup with Alabama on Oct. 18.

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

Lucy Green

Sydney Ham

Saydie Holland

CeCe Kizer

Gabby Little

Molly Martin

Sydney Michalak

Mo O'Connor

Ashley Orkus

Julia Phillips

Taylor Radecki

Madison Smith

Haleigh Stackpole

The University of Mississippi Athletics