Cats eliminated Rebels a season ago

ORANGE BEACH, Ala. — The University of Kentucky women’s soccer team looks to extend its post-season by at least one more match Thursday when the Cats (6-8-4, 4-3-2) take on Ole Miss (13-4-2, 4-3-2) in the first round of the SEC Tournament in Orange Beach, Ala. Match time for fifth-seeded Kentucky and fourth-seeded Ole Miss is 2 p.m. CST. Live stats will be available at secsports.com.

The Cats and Rebels met in this same position at the SEC Tournament a year ago when sixth-seeded Kentucky eliminated third-seeded Ole Miss by a 2-1 count on the Rebels’ home turf in Oxford. Kentucky went on to lose a 1-0 overtime thriller a day later against Tennessee in the semifinals.

Kentucky and Ole Miss each enter the SEC Tournament on down swings. The Cats are winless in their last six matches while the Rebels come to Orange Beach winless in their last four contests. Each team earned their most recent wins against Alabama, who by way of its 2-5-2 conference record failed to earn a spot in the eight-team conference tournament.

Ole Miss features four native Kentuckians on its 2003 squad in senior midfielder Amy Sample, a 2002 All-SEC Honorable Mention selection (Crestwood), junior midfielder Lindley Beckman (Anchorage), junior midfielder Kristal Menard, a 2002 All-SEC First Team selection (Crestwood) and sophomore midfielder Hillary Beckman (Anchorage). Goalkeeper Brittany Gillespie leads a stingy Rebel defense, allowing an average of 0.73 goals in nine conference matches.

Kentucky Coach Warren Lipka sports a career 8-8-1 record in the SEC Tournament. Lipka is the only coach in the conference to bring a team to all 11 SEC Tournaments, where only eight of 12 teams qualify. Lipka led Kentucky to its first SEC Tournament title in 1995 with a 2-1 victory over Alabama. Lipka’s 2002 SEC Tournament victory over Ole Miss ran his career record against the Rebels to 6-1.