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The University of Mississippi Athletics
Ole Miss
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Mississippi State
Soccer Face In-State Rival at Home
10/12/2022 | Soccer
Rebels Seek to Secure the Magnolia Cup on Thursday in Oxford
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OLE MISS (9-3-2, 3-3-0 SEC) vs. Mississippi State (9-2-3, 3-2-1 SEC) Thursday, Oct. 13 • 6 p.m. CT • Oxford, Miss. Ole Miss Soccer Stadium  |
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| WATCH • LIVE STATS OLE MISS NOTES (PDF) • MISSISSIPPI STATE (PDF) • SEC NOTES (PDF) |
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QUICK KICKS
• Ole Miss soccer came up short in a 2-1 loss to Texas A&M on Sunday. The Rebels fell to .500 in conference play.
• The Rebels are back at Ole Miss Soccer Stadium Thursday night, taking on Mississippi State. Ole Miss is seeking take back the Magnolia Cup for its first win over the Bulldogs since the 2019 SEC Tournament.
• Ole Miss is 15-8-5 all-time against Mississippi State. The Rebels last defeated the Bulldogs in the SEC Tournament, 2-1, in 2019.
• Taylor Radecki's eight assists set a career season high and has her top-5 in the nation. Radecki's 0.67 assists per game is top-20 in the nation.
• Mo O'Connor scored her sixth goal of the season and her second in SEC play on a penalty kick against Texas A&M. O'Connor is top-5 in the SEC in goals.
• Senior Ashley Orkus' eight shutouts are third most in the SEC and ninth in the nation.
• Orkus holds the record for most saves in a career by a Rebel goalkeeper and the first to make 300 saves. She sits second in keeper wins at 41.
• The Rebels have scored 10 of their 27 goals in the first 20 minutes of the game this season.
• Ole Miss dropped out of the United Soccer Coaches Poll this week. The Rebels are still ranked No. 24 on TopDrawerSoccer.com.
SCOUTING MISSISSIPPI STATE
James Armstrong is taking the Mississippi State soccer program to new heights in his fourth season coaching the program. Armstrong turned the program around from his first year when he ended a 15-year SEC Tournament drought and posted the third-highest SEC winning percentage in program history with a 8-8-3 record. Armstrong is 26-22-12 and 11-15-8 in the SEC as the Bulldogs head coach.
Mississippi State is 9-2-3 overall and 3-2-1 in the conference. It took 13 games for the Bulldogs to lose their game, starting 9-0-3 before losing their last two matches to No. 8 South Carolina and Auburn. Mississippi State began conference play with a huge win over current No. 9 Arkansas. It's next two games are on the road against No. 20 Ole Miss and at home against No. 3 Alabama.
The youth on the Bulldog offense have been the leading producers of points. Freshman forward Maggie Wadsworth leads the team with seven goals and 16 points, including four game-winning goals which is ranked seventh in the nation. Wadsworth earned back-to-back SEC Freshman of the Week honors in weeks four and five. Sophomore Haley McWhirter has four goals and four assists for 12 points. Another freshman in Alivia Buxton earned SEC Freshman of the Week in week one, scoring a brace against FIU.
The Mississippi State defense is the strength of the team, compiling nine shutouts and giving up just 6 goals all season. Goalkeeper Maddy Anderson was off to a career season, tallying 23 saves and just four goals allowed for a 0.33 goals against average which is third best in the nation. Anderson has career season highs in goals against average, save percentage and shutouts. Sophomore keeper Mac Titus has played majority of the minutes the last two games.
SERIES HISTORY
Ole Miss leads the all-time series over Mississippi State with a 15-8-2 record. The Rebels last held the Magnolia Cup after a 2-1 win in November of 2019. Ole Miss is 8-3-2 when playing the Bulldogs in Oxford, outscoring them 27-8.
PREVIOUS GAME (10/28/21)
STARKVILLE, Miss. – On a wet and chilly night at the MSU Soccer Field, Ole Miss (11-4-3, 6-3-1 SEC) battled back from and early deficit to take the lead but couldn't hang on, falling to Mississippi State (5-8-3, 3-6-1 SEC) 3-2 Thursday night.
The Rebs got off to a slow start, surrendering the lead less than five minutes in after Hailey Farrington-Bentil lifted a shot over a charging Ashley Orkus and in.
From there, the Bulldogs attempted to pack it in and protect the lead. However, the Rebels had an answer. Collecting the ball at midfield, Channing Foster dribbled past a host of defenders and unleashed a wicked shot from 25 yards out, burying it upper 90.
Ole Miss looked to capitalize on the momentum and pushed for a second before the expiration of the half but was forced to settle for a 1-1 score at the break.
Just like the Bulldogs did in the first half, Ole Miss opened the second with an early goal, and an incredible one at that. Breaking quickly on the counter, Mo O'Connor alertly recognized the keeper off her line and took a shot from around 40 yards out, perfectly placing the ball into the vacant goal in the .
The lead would not last too long, however, as Monigo Karnley scored in the 61st minute to tie the match at two goals apiece. Then, in the 78th minute, Orkus was called for a foul in the box and Bulldog keeper Maddy Anderson scored from the penalty spot to give Mississippi State a 3-2 lead and ultimately the win.
POWERFUL PAIR
Ole Miss forwards Mo O'Connor and Marykate McGuire have been tough for opposing defenses to stop this season. McGuire leads the team with seven goals and O'Connor's penalty kick goal against Texas A&M was her sixth.
It's the second consecutive year and 12th in the last 14 seasons, the Rebels have two players with six or more goals. Only other SEC team with multiple 6-plus goal scorers is Alabama.
SHOOT AROUND
The Rebels are 7-0-1 when taking more shot than their opponents and 4-0-1 with more shots on goal. Ole Miss is also undefeated when taking more than ten shots in a single game.
DOUBLE TROUBLE
Ole Miss women's soccer is a win away from their fifth straight season with double-digit wins. It would mark the ninth season with 10-plus wins in the last 11 seasons, missing it by one win in 2016.
The program has won at least 10 games in 16 seasons.
STARTING OFF RIGHT
Out of the Rebels 26 goals this season, 10 goals have been scored in the first 20 minutes of the match. Ole Miss' quickest goal of the season came off the foot of keeper Ashley Orkus. She scored the first goal of a 2-1 win over Kentucky with 1:25 off the clock.
BREAKING RECORDS
Ole Miss continues to break program records. Ole Miss' 9-0-2 record was the best start for the first 11 games by win percentage in school history. Ashley Orkus already broke Ole Miss' career shutout record and recently became the all-time career saves leader. Orkus also moved ahead of Marnie Merritt for second most goalkeeper wins at 41
The Rebels went 3-0 in SEC games for the first time in program history.
TRANSFER SUCCESS
The Rebels signed six transfers during the offseason, which is the second most in the SEC. Four start for Ole Miss, which is second-most in the SEC and tied fourth in the nation. Marykate McGuire leads the way with sevens goals along with four assists.
SYD VICIOUS
Picking a ball off near midfield, 6th-year senior defender Sydney Michalak made a dazzling run before firing into the back of the net for Ole Miss' second goal against Memphis. It was Michalak's first goal since her collegiate debut in 2018, still playing as a forward at that time. The Rebel left back also helped Ole Miss lock up a pair of clean sheets during the week. For her efforts, Michalak was named to the TopDrawerSoccer.com Team of the Week.
GETTING DUSTY IN HERE
While the first goal of any season is a special one, the Rebels' opening tally of the 2022 season came with a little extra meaning. Fourteen minutes into the match, redshirt-freshman Lauren Montgomery cleaned up a Mo O'Connor rebound and slid the ball under the keeper for her first collegiate goal, coming just over a year after tearing her ACL during the 2021 preseason and missing her true freshman campaign.
IT JUST MEANS MO'
When the lights shine brightest, Rebel striker Mo O'Connor steps her game up to another level. Of O'Connor's 18 career goals, nine have come against conference opposition, including five of seven goals in 2021. O'Connor's five goals in league play last season were tied for the most in the conference.
BEEN AROUND THE BLOCK
In his 13th season at the helm of the Ole Miss program, Matt Mott is the fourth-longest tenured head coach in the SEC. Mott is also the third-longest tenured head coach active at Ole Miss.
SEC's Longest Tenured Head Coaches
1. G Guerreiri (Texas A&M) - 29 seasons
2. Karen Hoppa (Auburn) - 24 seasons
3. Shelley Smith (South Carolina) - 22 seasons
4. Matt Mott (Ole Miss) - 13 seasons
5. Colby Hale (Arkansas) - 11 seasons
BIG SHOES TO FILL
With the departure of star players like Channing Foster, Haleigh Stackpole and Molly Martin, Ole Miss will have plenty of firepower to replace in 2022. Foster finished her career with 44 goals, tied for the second most in program history, while Stackpole's 31 career assists rank third all-time at Ole Miss, including 16 assists in 2021 alone. Meanwhile, Martin and her aerial threat led the Rebels with 10 goals a season ago. Overall, Ole Miss will need to replace 25-of-36 goals (69.4%), 23-of-44 assists (52.3%) and 73-of-116 points (62.9%) from the 2021 season.
G.O.A.T.
Entering her fourth season between the posts for the Rebels, goalkeeper Ashley Orkus sits near the top in the Ole Miss record books in several statistical categories. Below is a breakdown of Orkus' approach of program-records:
GOALKEEPER SAVES
1. Ashley Orkus (2018-pres.) - 300
2. Kelly McCormick (2011-2014) - 297
3. Marnie Merritt (2014-18) - 277
4. Melinda Smith (1998-2001) - 232
GOALKEEPER WINS
1. Kelly McCormick (2011-2014) - 42
2. Ashley Orkus (2018-pres.) - 41
3. Marnie Merritt (2014-18) - 40
4. Brittany Gillespie (2000-03) - 32
SHUTOUTS
1. Ashley Orkus (2018-pres.) - 26
2. Kelly McCormick (2011-2014) - 22
3. Brittany Gillespie (2000-03) - 22
4. Marnie Merritt (2014-18) - 21
5. Ann Shelton (2004-07) - 18
DANCING QUEENS
Ole Miss is one of five SEC teams to receive a bid at least five of the last seven seasons (Arkansas, Auburn, South Carolina, Texas A&M) and also one of five SEC teams to make four of the last five NCAA Tournaments.
POLL POSITION
For the second consecutive year, Ole Miss was ranked in the United Soccer Coaches Preseason Poll, coming in at No. 18. The Rebels were slotted at No. 23 in the 2021 preseason poll. Prior to last season, Ole Miss had never been ranked in the preseason by the United Soccer Coaches. The Rebels are one of four SEC teams ranked in the 2022 iteration of the poll, joining Arkansas, Tennessee and South Carolina.
BEST OF THE BEST
Ole Miss keeper Ashley Orkus was named to the 2022 TopDrawerSoccer.com Preseason Best XI First Team. It is the second consecutive year that the two-time defending SEC Goalkeeper of the Year has been named to the first team. Orkus has also received postseason Best XI honors from TopDrawerSoccer the last two seasons, earning a first team nod in 2020 and landing on the third team in 2021.
Orkus was also selected to the MAC Hermann Trophy Watch List for the third consecutive year. The senior was the only goalkeeper among the group of 15 players named a semifinalist for the 2021 edition of college soccer's top individual honor.
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". Fans can also now follow Ole Miss on TikTok at @OleMissWSoccer.
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