Miami Soccer Opens 2007 Season at Ole Miss

Hurricanes strive for third straight season-opening win in Oxford.

8/29/2007

CORAL GABLES, Fla. – The University of Miami women’s soccer team opens its 2007 season with a pair of games in Oxford, Miss., this weekend. The Hurricanes kick off their 2007 campaign versus Ole Miss on Friday, Aug. 31, at 8 p.m. (EST) and then face Alabama A&M on Sunday, Sept. 2, at 1 p.m. (EST) in Oxford.



The Hurricanes have won two-straight season openers by a combined score of 6-0, and have won five of their last six openers – including a pair on the road. Miami will play its first four matches of 2007 away from Coral Gables, before returning home for its Sept. 14 home opener versus in-state rival USF.



The ‘Canes return nine starters in 2007, including seniors Lauren McAdam (Simsbury, Conn.) and Sheuneen Ta (London, England), and welcome the nation’s 21st ranked signing class by Soccer Buzz. Those newcomers include 2007 Gatorade Colorado Girls’ Soccer Player of the Year Brittney Macdonald (Littleton, Colo.), U.S. U-20 Women’s National Team member and two-time New Jersey Player of the Year Brittney Steinbruch (Wyckoff, N.J.) and sophomore transfer Beverly Goebel (Moreno Valley, Calif.), an All-Big Sky Honorable Mention selection for Sacramento State in 2006.



Miami, who finished last season with an 8-9-1 record, dropped six matches by just one goal and looks to capitalize on all scoring opportunities this season. The Hurricanes have shown evidence of their hard work with a 9-0 rout of Barry in an exhibition game at Cobb Stadium on Aug. 18. Five ‘Canes scored in that game – Steinbruch, Goebel, freshman Lauren Singer (Mt. Sinai, N.Y.), sophomore Courtney Alexander (Madison, Miss.) and junior Sammy Sanderson (Columbus, Ohio).



“I’m looking forward to opening the season versus such a high-caliber opponent,” said sixth-year Miami head coach Tricia Taliaferro. “Ole Miss will be a tough test on the road.



“I am very proud of the team for all the hard work they have done during the preseason, and we are all looking forward to getting out there and starting the competition.”



Ole Miss, who compiled an 8-7-5 mark in 2006, also returns nine starters – including two-time All-SEC and 2005 Honorable Mention All-American Chrissy Strini and Second-Team All-SEC selections Jennifer Hance and Danielle Johnson. Hance was the second-leading goal scorer for Ole Miss last season with six goals, while Strini posted a conference-leading eight assists. SEC coaches picked the Rebels to repeat as runners-up in the SEC’s West Division.



Alabama A&M put together an impressive 2006 campaign, finishing 14-5-0, while leading the nation with 4.11 goals per game behind Belinda Kanda’s NCAA-leading 1.25 goals and 3.06 points per game. However, the Bulldogs will be without Kanda as she is playing for Ghana in the World Cup and lack a true goalkeeper on their roster. Regardless, the Bulldogs have been picked to win the Eastern Division of the Southwestern Athletic Conference and will face Miami in their second game of the season. Alabama A&M opens 2007 at Oklahoma on Friday, Aug. 31.



After this weekend, the Hurricanes will return to the pitch with a pair of matches at the Long’s Electronics Samford Classic in Birmingham, Ala. Miami will face host Samford on Thursday, Sept. 6 at 8:30 p.m. (EST) and then take on LSU on Saturday, Sept. 8, at 6 p.m. (EST).



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