MSU Soccer To Meet Rival Ole Miss Saturday In Ridgeland
STARKVILLE, Miss. - Last fall, the Mississippi State soccer team defeated rival Ole Miss to hoist the Magnolia Cup for the first time since 2005. On Saturday, the Dawgs look to win their second-straight against the Rebels as the two teams meet in a 7 p.m. kickoff at Freedom Ridge Park in Ridgeland, Miss.
Saturday's match will be the third of the spring slate for head coach Neil Macdonald's Bulldogs. The Dawgs host Alabama at 7 p.m. on April 1 before wrapping the exhibition slate with the annual alumni match at 11 a.m. on April 9 as part of Mississippi State's Super Bulldog Weekend presented by Regions Bank.
Mississippi State entered the spring riding the momentum of a 2-1 win against the Rebels to close the 2010 campaign. Former Bulldog Kat Walsh netted the winner on a pass from rookie Elisabeth Sullivan.
MSU captain Kim Pettit netted the tying goal for Mississippi State as she hit a shot in the 69th minute.
Macdonald has his top three scorers from last season back in the lineup for the spring. Sullivan ended 2010 as one of the top rookies in not only the Southeastern Conference, but the nation, netting six goals and five assists for a team-best 17 points.
Rachel Wannek heads into the 2011 campaign looking to build on a sophomore season in which she hit four goals and four assists for 12 points. Pettit scored a personal-best five goals in 2010 to finish the year with 10 points.
Goalkeeper Skylar Rosson paces the Mississippi State defense after stopping 110 shots and compiling a 2.62 goals-against average last fall.