The University of Mississippi Athletics
Rebel Soccer Adds Five for 2004 Season
2/6/2004 | Soccer
Feb. 6, 2004
OXFORD, Miss. - Drawing from the states of Tennessee, Ohio, North Carolina and Texas, the Ole Miss soccer team has received national letters of intent from five high school seniors for the 2004 season, as announced by Rebel head coach Steve Holeman.
"Every player in this class has the ability and talent to come in and start for us in the fall," said Holeman, whose Rebels have made back-to-back NCAA Tournament appearances. "This group will provide us with speed, athleticism and depth. They each bring a wonderful work ethic and will make us a better program. This recruiting class from top-to-bottom is one of our best."
Ole Miss inked two of Tennessee's finest in Cordova natives Cori Mehan and Chrissy Strini. A 5-foot-3 defender, Mehan is a 2003 All-State selection and two-time All-Metro pick at Cordova High School. She helped the Germantown Fury '86 to four state championships and was a 2002-03 member of the Tennessee Olympic Development Program.
A high school and club teammate of Mehan, Strini was named All-State in 2002 and 2003. The 5-foot-5 midfielder was a finalist for the Commercial Appeal "Best of the Preps" team. Strini, a six-year member of Tennessee ODP, is a three-time Region Team participant and has been invited to travel to Europe with the squad.
Amy Gill comes to Ole Miss from Loveland, Ohio, where she was a 2003 All-State selection and FAVC league Player of the Year at Loveland High School. Gill, a 5-foot-0 midfielder, played for the Ohio South ODP State team and also competed for her high school track squad, where she is the school record holder in three events.
Charlotte native Christine Liberto is a forward/midfielder pointed toward Oxford. Liberto helped guide Charlotte Catholic High School to two straight state titles, earning championship game MVP honors in 2002. She is an All-State pick and an All-Region Player of the Year.
Megan Vickery, a 5-foot-7 goalkeeper from Dallas, was chosen for the ODP National Team Pool. She spent one year on the Region III Team, two years in the Region Pool and four years with the North Texas State Team. An eight-time team captain for the Solar '86 club team, Vickery was a 2000 Adidas ESP nominee.
These signees join an Ole Miss team that is coming off its most successful season. The Rebels, who rose as high as No. 21 in the national rankings, advanced to the second round of the NCAA Tournament with an opening win over Texas. With a 15-6-2 mark, Ole Miss recorded its most single-season victories and finished top four in the SEC overall for the second straight year.
The Rebels graduate only three starters from that squad, and look to regain 2002 All-SEC first team forward Kelly Renie and 2002 team defensive MVP Lyndsey Williams, both of whom missed the fall with torn ACLs.
