Ole Miss Soccer Returns to the Pitch Tuesday at Auburn

The Ole Miss soccer team returns to the pitch this afternoon as they travel to the Plains to face the Auburn Tigers. First kick is set for 4 p.m. on the SEC Network +.

This match was originally slated for Sunday (Oct. 11) but was postponed due to health and safety protocols surrounding COVID-19.

Ole Miss (1-2-0, 1-2-0 SEC) is coming off of a 1-0 loss to rival Mississippi State in Oxford on Oct. 2. It was the first loss to the Bulldogs for the Rebels since 2012 and the first time losing control of the Magnolia Cup in seven meetings.

Senior Channing Foster is the only Rebel on the current roster to have scored against Auburn, having tallied a goal in each of the last two meetings, including the golden goal in last season’s 1-0 victory in Oxford.

Auburn (0-0-1, 0-0-1 SEC) has not played a match since the opening weekend of the season, with the Tigers drawing 1-1 with Mississippi State on Sept. 18 in Auburn. Since then, Auburn has had back-to-back matches with Texas A&M and LSU postponed due to COVID-19.

The Tigers are led by three players who were named to the SEC Preseason Watch List in Sarah Houchin, Alyssa Malonson and Sydney Richards. Houchin, a two-time team captain, has started every match on the backline since joining the Auburn program in 2017, helping the team to 23 clean sheets over the last three seasons. Malonson has also started every match since her freshman campaign in 2017, earning SEC All-Freshman laurels that season and following up with a Second Team All-SEC nod in 2018. Richards, the only Tiger to score so far this season, is Auburn’s leading returning goal scorer from last season, earning SEC All-Freshman accolades with four tallies a year ago.

Ole Miss holds a slight edge in the all-time series with Auburn, sitting at 13-11-3 all-time against the Tigers. That lead has been built thanks to a recent run of success against the Tigers, with Ole Miss posting a 4-0-2 record in the last six meetings, having not fallen to Auburn since a 1-0 defeat on the road in 2012. Ole Miss is 5-6-2 all-time when visiting The Plains, though the Rebels have posted a 4-1-2 record in Auburn in the last seven road meetings, including a back-and-forth 3-2 victory in 2018 over the then-No. 9 ranked Tigers.

Staff Report