CLINTON, Miss. --- The Mississippi College women's soccer team will be at home to open up the 2018 season this weekend, with two matches against foes from the Sunshine State Conference. MC will host Saint Leo on August 31 and then Tampa on September 2.

MC NOTES
- The Lady Choctaws were 15-4-1 in 2017 and posted a prefect home record of 8-0-0.
- MC captured a share of the Gulf South Conference regular season title in 2017 posting a conference record of 12-2-0.
- The program made history by receiving the school's first-ever postseason bid in 2017. Mississippi College was awarded the #1 overall seed in the NCAA South Regional.
- MC will return their leading goal-scorer and assist leader from 2017. Senior Lauren Smith led the team in scoring with nine goals and junior Katie Taylor led the team in assists with five.
- The top three newcomers to watch this season for the Lady Choctaws are graduate transfer Rita Okoro, freshman Abbie Hanna and freshman Marisa Saunders. Okoro is a forward from Nigeria and is transferring from Alcorn State University. Hanna is a defender and comes to MC from Canton, MS. Saunders is also a defender and is from Brandon, MS.
- The Lady Choctaws were picked to finish second in the GSC preseason poll.
- Gaylynn Cooper and Andrea McDonald were selected to the GSC Preseason All-Conference team.
- MC is starting the 2018 season ranked 18th nationally in the United Soccer Coaches NCAA Division II national preseason poll.
 
SAINT LEO NOTES
- The Lions were 4-8-1 in 2017 and posted a 2-4-1 record on the road
- Saint Leo lost its top two leading goal-scorers from 2017. The top returning scorer is junior Rebecca Anderson who recorded one goal.
- Saint Leo also lost its top assist leader from a season ago. The top returning assist leaders are sophomore Ashley Jelani and junior Brooke Snoll, both of them recorded one assist last year.
- The Lions were predicted to finish ninth in the Sunshine State Conference preseason poll.

TAMPA NOTES
- The Spartans were 9-6-3 in 2017 and posted a 6-4-1 record on the road.
- Tampa came up short in the Sunshine Conference Championship game in 2017 losing to Florida Tech in penalty kicks.
- The Spartans will return their leading goal-scorer and assist leader from 2017. Sophomore Erika Peitersen led the team with four goals and junior Nastasia Asgedom lead the team in assists with two.
- Tampa was predicted to finish fourth in the Sunshine State Conference preseason poll.
 
SERIES HISTORY
- The Lady Choctaws will bring an all-time record of 1-0 into Friday's match with Saint Leo. MC defeated the Lions 3-2 in their only meeting in 2016.
- The Lady Choctaws will bring an all-time record of 1-0 into Sunday's match with Tampa. MC defeated the Spartans 2-0 in their only meeting in 2016.
   
MATCH COVERAGE
- Both live stats and streaming video will be available for both of this weekend's contests. Links to game coverage can be found on the MC athletic website.
- Friday's match is set for a 4:30 P.M. start time
- Sunday's match is set for an 11:00 A.M. start time.
 

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 Mississippi College is a private Christian university located in Clinton, Mississippi with an enrollment of over 5,000 students. MC is recently finished their transition process back to NCAA Division II and the Gulf South Conference and will be competing for conference and national championships in the 2016-17 academic year.
 
The athletic department sponsors 17 intercollegiate athletic programs: Baseball, Men's and Women's Basketball, Men's and Women's Cross Country, Football, Golf, Men's and Women's Soccer, Softball, Men's and Women's Tennis, Men's and Women's Indoor Track & Field, Men's and Women's Outdoor Track & Field and Volleyball.
 
For more information on Mississippi College athletics, please contact David Nichols at 601-925-3234 or nichols@mc.edu.