COLUMBUS — Mississippi University for Women is set for its second year as an NCAA Division III school and member of the St. Louis Intercollegiate Athletic Conference. Soccer is one of the first sports on the 2024-25 calendar, and this week the school released schedules for both men’s and women’s teams.
This year will be the third season with BJ Pheasant at the helm for the men’s team and the first season with Ana Ramos in charge of the women’s team.
Both teams will participate in exhibition games at East Mississippi Community College on
Aug. 23, and again on Aug. 26, with the men traveling to Blue Mountain and the women hosting Tougaloo College on that day.
Both teams will host games against non-conference opponents on the weekend of Aug. 30-Sept. 1 before beginning a stretch of away games. The men will play five straight away from home and the women will play six.
The SLIAC schedule begins in late September. The two teams share their opponent schedule for home and away fixtures to make travel easier, kicking off their SLIAC campaign against Spalding University at home.
Last season the men’s soccer team finished 3-10-6 with a 1-5-3 record in conference play. The lone SLIAC win came in a 2-1 victory over Blackburn College. Forward Mo Diallo was joint top scorer for the Owls with five goals last season and is set to return as a senior.
The women’s team fared better in their first DIII campaign, finishing 5-10 overall and 4-5 in SLIAC play. Top scorer Carlie Giles is set to return for her final year after scoring 8 goals last year.
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