Soccer Hits Road for Pair of Games
9/3/2015 12:00:00 AM | Women's Soccer
HATTIESBURG, Miss. -- The Southern Miss soccer team returns to the pitch with a pair of away games over the weekend against Southern on Friday, Sept. 4 and Mississippi State on Sunday, Sept 6. Both games kick off at 6:00 p.m.
The Golden Eagles (1-1-2) will look to bounce back from a tough loss at home against Louisiana-Lafayette. The team has shown an amazing amount of resilience so far this season, going into double overtime in three out of four games and outscoring opponents 6-0 after halftime.
Southern Miss is led in goals this season by Aisa Ribbens with two. The versatile freshman from Netherlands has scored a goal in each of the team's last two games against Nicholls and Louisiana.
The young team has had two other freshmen scorers as well with Kierstin Bradley and Mary Kate Smith adding one goal apiece. The Golden Eagles have also seen a goal each from juniors Rikke Randrup and Somer Jones.
Through the first four matches, attacking players Stephanie Garcia, Adriana Garcia and Becky McMullan have consistently kept opponents' keepers on their toes. The three currently lead the Golden Eagles in shots on goal.
Junior goalkeeper Brittany Taylor has recorded 13 saves so far this season for the Golden Eagles. Freshman Brittany Snyder has also seen time in the net, but has not yet needed to make a save.
This will be the second matchup between the Golden Eagles and the Jaguars, who are a member of the Southwestern Athletic Conference (SWAC). Last season, Southern Miss recorded a 4-0 victory over Southern in Hattiesburg.
Southern Miss holds a record of 2-6-1 against Mississippi State. In their last meeting in 2014, the Bulldogs edged the Golden Eagles 2-1 in double overtime in Starkville.
Scouting the Opposition:
Southern: The Jaguars are 0-4 on the season, losing most recently to Nicholls (2-0) on Aug. 30, and to Southeastern Louisiana (5-0) on Sept. 1. With one goal, Southern's leading scorer is senior forward Jami Blackston.
Mississippi State: The Mississippi State team began its season 0-4. The Bulldogs most recently lost two away games against tough opponents, including a 2-0 loss to Florida Gulf Coast on Aug. 28 and a 3-0 loss to South Florida on Aug. 30. Freshman midfielder Kiley Martens is Mississippi State's leading scorer with one goal.