The University of Mississippi Athletics
w soccer archive 091699aae html
Sept. 16, 1999
1998 Season Stats
Although the 1998 Ole Miss Lady Rebels fell short of winning the Southeastern Conference?s Western Division, they did overcome numerous injuries and a schedule that featured five NCAA Tournament teams to finish second in the SEC West and earn a second consecutive birth in the SEC Tournament.
Led by seniors Michelle Dubuc, Elizabeth Lee, Leah Rutledge and Tammy Zegledi, the Lady Rebels opened the season with six consecutive victories.
Ole Miss began the season with a 4-0 victory over Southern Mississippi in Hattiesburg, and followed that up with an 8-0 win over Chattanooga and a 12-0 win over UT-Martin.
Forward Regan Scanlon and midfielder Sarah Wong posted three goals apiece in the victory over UT-Martin, while goalkeepers Birna Bjornsdottir and Melinda Smith recorded an Ole Miss record third straight shutout.
The Lady Rebels then opened SEC play with a 5-1 victory over LSU and a 2-1 win over Arkansas. Wong notched the game-winning goal against the Lady Razorbacks on a penalty kick at the 69:29 minute mark.
Following a 3-0 win over South Alabama, the Lady Rebels dropped their first game of the season to SEC West rival Alabama. Ole Miss jumped out to a 2-1 first-half advantage on two goals by Wong. Midfielder Jennifer Soileau gave the Lady Rebels a 3-1 advantage with a goal at the 71:01 minute mark. But, the Crimson Tide stormed back with three goals in an eight minute stretch, with the game-winner coming at the 82:13 minute mark to notch a 4-3 victory.
Next up for the Lady Rebels was a trip to Auburn and a battle with the Tigers. Ole Miss took a 1-0 lead on Leah Rutledge?s first-half goal, but the Tigers tied it with a goal at the 85:00 minute mark and send the game to overtime.
Auburn scored in the first minute of the ovetime to hand the Lady Rebels their second consecutive loss and drop them to 2-2 in the SEC.
?The losses to Alabama and Auburn were very tough on us. We had started the season by winning our first six games and we were really on a high note going into those games,? Holeman said. ?It was tough for us to shake off those two losses, but that experience will help us this year and make us stronger as a team.?
With a 6-2 mark Ole Miss headed west to Colorado Springs. The Lady Rebels dropped a 3-2 decision to Colorado College and tied Pepperdine 1-1 in tournament action to fall to 6-3-1 on the season. Following a 2-2 tie against Memphis, Ole Miss fell to South Carolina 4-0, eventual national champion Florida 9-1 and Georgia 3-0.
The Lady Rebels headed into the final three games of the season with a 6-6-2 record and needed a victory to clinch berth in the SEC Tournament and a second-place finish in the SEC West.
Ole Miss secured both with a 1-0 victory over in-state rival Mississippi State in Starkville. Jennifer Soileau?s goal at the 48:49 minute mark was all the offense the Lady Rebels needed as they held the Lady Bulldogs to only six shots on goal for the game.
Ole Miss closed out the season with a 3-0 win over Arkansas-Little Rock and a 1-0 victory over Southeast Louisiana and headed into the SEC tournament with a 9-6-2 record. The Lady Rebels took on the Kentucky Wildcats in the first round of the SEC Tournament. Ole Miss? second consecutive trip to the tournament ended with a 4-1 loss to the Wildcats.
?Even though we didn?t meet our goal of winning the SEC West, we did have our best finish ever in the division,? Holeman said. ?Our players fought through some tough times during the year and that has prepared them for the challenges that lay ahead.?