Samford Will Face Ole Miss on Friday :: Something has to give as undefeated teams meet in Oxford

Sept. 26, 2002

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A pair of undefeated teams square off at the Ole Miss Soccer Stadium on Friday as the 9-0-1 Samford Bulldogs and the 7-0-1 Ole Miss Rebels meet for the first time. The schools are two of only 14 team who are still unbeaten in Division I college soccer.

Marian Wagner's second overtime goal of the season in the 106th minute Wednesday lifted Samford to a 2-1 victory at Gardner-Webb. The Bulldogs are off to their best start in school history and are one victory away from guaranteeing only the second winning season in Samford Soccer history. The Bulldogs best record until this season was in 1999 when the Bulldogs finished 9-8-2. The win at Gardner-Webb tied Samford records for most wins in a season and most conference wins in a season. Ole Miss is Samford's first meeting with an SEC team other than Mississippi State.

The Rebels are also off to their best start in school history. Ole Miss is currently ranked fifth in the central region and last week received votes for the Soccer Buzz Top 25. The Rebels are coming off a 2-1 overtime victory against Missouri. Kelly Renie leads Ole Miss with nine goals and three assists. Karen Hall has four goals and two assists while Kristin Chapman has added three goals. The Rebels have won three-straight since tying Wyoming. The Rebels and Bulldogs have one common opponent so far this season. Ole Miss defeated Georgia State 3-2 on Sept. 1.

Lindsay Shanks scored a goal and added an assist against Gardner-Webb to give her a conference leading eight goals. She is now tied with Hayley Kolb and Lindsay Anglin for second on the all-time goals list. She is also one goals shy of the single-season record that she tied last season. With her goal at Gardner-Webb, Wagner has scored a goal in each of the Bulldogs last four matches. She has scored two game-winners, both in overtime during the streak. The Samford record for most consecutive games with a goal is five set by Shanks earlier this season.

The Bulldogs have already played four overtime matches this season and are 3-0-1 in those matches. Freshmen have scored the golden goal in each of the overtime wins. Marian Wagner has two OT goals and Bridgit Martin has one. Overtime is nothing new for Samford. Over the past five years the Bulldogs have played 25 Overtime matches, an average of five a year.

On Sunday, Samford will travel to Starkville, Miss., to face defending SEC West Champ Mississippi State in a 1 p.m. game. The match will be broadcast on the internet at www.samfordsports.com