Ole Miss Soccer 2008 Season Outlook

By Joey Jones

Athletics Media Relations 

A proud Ole Miss soccer program that boasts three Southeastern Conference Western Division titles, three NCAA Tournament appearances and the best record in the SEC West since 1999 is hungry for more.

The Rebels, who had grown accustomed to postseason hardware in recent years, have not claimed a division title or earned an NCAA Tournament berth in the last two seasons. Remembering what it was like to accomplish those things as freshmen, a strong 2008 senior class is eager to lead Ole Miss back to its place among the nation’s best.

As head coach Steve Holeman enters his 14th year at the Rebel helm, he is quick to point to two outstanding facets of this year’s team leadership and chemistry.

“This season is all about leadership, and that starts with our seven seniors,” said Holeman, whose 145 career wins are third-most in SEC history. “They’re not just seven seniors, but seven leaders. All seven have at one point in their careers been starters for our team. They all played in the NCAA Tournament, and the last two years they missed out on that, and they want that back. They won an SEC West title in 2005 and barely missed it the last two years, and they want that back. They know what it takes to accomplish those things, and they’re going to do everything in their power to make sure they recapture the West title and get back to the Big Dance.”

Leadership doesn’t count for much if the whole team is not on the same page, but Holeman sees this year’s squad as one of the tightest, most unified groups he’s had in his tenure.

“It goes back to recruiting,” he said. “When we recruit, we look at talented players with a defining quality that are going to add to our program and add to our team chemistry. The returning players all get along and feed off of each other, and our incoming freshmen all have that same quality. They’re only going to add to the team chemistry. We’re excited about it, and I think it’s going to play a huge role in our success this fall.”

Ole Miss returns 14 letterwinners and nine of 11 starters from last year’s team that, despite not producing the number of wins with which the program has become accustomed, still managed to go undefeated against division foes for the third straight year.

All-SEC midfielders Amy Bayles and Jennifer Hance help make up the stellar senior class, which also includes goalkeeper Megan Vickery, defenders Christine Breaux, Austin Brown and Amanda Verkin, and forward Stacey Emmonds.

Danielle Johnson has earned All-SEC and All-Region honors in each of her first two seasons, and the junior defender will also help lead and anchor a veteran back line that has been among the league’s best the past few years.

Scoring goals was a focus for the Rebels throughout the spring exhibition season in which the team amassed eight wins, with just one loss and one tie. They outscored opponents 19-4, and Holeman believes the work paid off.

“This team had a great spring season and found ways to win games and score goals,” he said. “It was great preparation for the fall.”

The experience of the returning Rebels will be complimented by the talent of eight incoming freshmen, several of whom are expected to immediately compete for starting positions.

Ole Miss will have to navigate through a rigorous slate of matches before it can call its 2008 season a success. In addition to the always-challenging SEC schedule, the Rebels will take on traditional power SMU on the road and host defending Conference USA champion Memphis as well as Colorado and Oklahoma of the Big 12.

Holeman says there will be plenty for Rebel fans to be excited about this season.

“We’ve got strong leaders. We have good chemistry as a team. We have freshmen that are going to come in and make some noise. We’re going to be chasing the SEC West title and the overall SEC title, and that’s exciting.”

GOALKEEPERS

Opponents’ balls may have a hard time finding the back of the net this year, as fifth-year senior Megan Vickery returns for her final season between the posts. The Dallas, Texas, native enters the season as the all-time Rebel leader in goals-against average with a 0.80 mark. After undergoing abdominal surgery following the spring, she is fully healthy coming into the fall.

“Megan is an outstanding goalkeeper, and probably more importantly, she’s a great leader,” Holeman said. “She’s going to be a key to our success both on and off the field.”

Despite Vickery’s career achievements, she will be pushed for minutes by a pair of talented younger netminders in redshirt-sophomore Jackie DeNova and incoming freshman Alley Ronaldi.

“Jackie’s coming off a redshirt season. When she’s at her best, she’s one of the best,” Holeman said. “Alley is also very good. There’s nothing she can’t do, and she’s going to come in right away and challenge for a starting spot.

“We’re going to have three solid keepers. I think it’s going to be a battle for that starting spot, and that’s what we want.”

DEFENDERS

The Rebels boast a veteran backfield that has proven itself as perhaps the strongest element of the team and one of the best in the SEC over the past three seasons.

Competition for starting spots will be high, as five players with full-time experience return on the defense.

Two-time All-SEC and All-Region selection Danielle Johnson highlights the corps and will help anchor the defense either at center back or outside back. Known as one of the fittest players on the squad (she was substituted out of a game for only 10 minutes during all of last season), the junior from Baton Rouge, La., has also become one of the most respected around the league for her talent and versatility.

“Dee is one of the best players I’ve ever coached,” Holeman said. “She’s a player that cannot only defend, but also has a wonderful attacking presence. She can do it all, and you know you will always get her best effort.”

One of three seniors who started in the backfield last season is Gonzales, La., native Christine Breaux. The center back has earned the starting nod in all 61 matches of her Rebel career and will again help anchor the defense.

“Christine is what every coach wants to have someone who comes in and literally brings her very best every single day,” Holeman said. “She’s done it for three years, and we expect no less this year. She’s highly respected by her teammates and will provide a lot of leadership for us.”

Seniors Austin Brown and Amanda Verkin also return from last year’s starting backfield, as well as junior Mallory Coleman. Each of those three made at least 16 starts a year ago and will again push for starts and quality minutes.

The backfield is further bolstered by a pair of incoming freshmen, including high school All-American Meredith Snow. The Cincinnati, Ohio, native is expected to contribute immediately, while Rachel Cutts will also help provide depth at the position.

MIDFIELDERS

Perhaps the most star power on this year’s squad resides in the midfield, in the form of high-flying Texan Jennifer Hance and super speedy Alabama native Amy Bayles.

An All-SEC pick in 2005 and 2006, Hance burst onto the college scene as the 2005 SEC Freshman of the Year and has since racked up 17 career goals to rank 10th on the school’s all-time list entering her senior season.

“Jen is one of the most dominant aerial players in the country,” Holeman said. “She had a spectacular summer season as the captain for the W-League’s Ottawa Fury. We’re looking for big things from her this fall.”

Bayles had a breakthrough campaign as a junior last year. Although she scored just three goals with one assist, her constant pressure on opposing defenses by way of her blazing speed and superb dribbling ability earned her respect throughout the league and a selection to the All-SEC second team.

“Amy will again be in an attacking center mid role for us,” Holeman said. “She had shoulder surgery and missed the entire spring, but she’s back full-go and we’re expecting big things from her as well.”

Also in the mix for a starting role in the midfield is sophomore Erin Downing, who came on strong late in her freshman season and started six of the Rebels’ final seven matches, utilizing an impressive display of technical skills on the pitch.

Freshmen Jenna Strother and Katie Breathitt are also expected to contribute in the midfield. Not the most highly recruited player out of high school, Strother has impressed the Rebel coaching staff as the season nears.

“Jenna may be the surprise of this class,” Holeman said. “She may come in and make some noise right away. I would anticipate that she’s going to push for a starting spot. We certainly think she’ll get a lot of playing time.”

FORWARDS

As many as seven or eight players are in the mix for starting spots at forward, a position that could be a determining factor to whether the Rebels will make a run at division and conference championships.

“That will be the most competitive position on our field in terms of playing time and starting spots, but we do have a lot of depth up front,” Holeman said. “One of our focuses in the spring was to finish and score goals, so we’re looking for players who can score goals.”

Junior Hannah Weatherly has been a starter and major contributor in each of her first two seasons, and the local product out of Tupelo looks to again be a leader up front.

“Hannah had a spectacular spring season and has been training hard all summer,” Holeman said. “I think she’s going to score her share of goals this year, and I feel pretty confident that she’s going to lead the way for our team in that area.”

After serving as a starting outside back as a freshman, Stacey Emmonds has fully transitioned to a prominent role as a forward entering her senior season. The England native is among many who will vie for a starting spot.

“Stacey has an outstanding left foot, reads the game really well and provides dangerous opportunities for us,” Holeman said. “She’s more of a possession forward. She’s going to be a player that I think will make the players around her better.”

A sophomore out of Louisville, Ky., Taylor Cunningham is another forward for whom the Ole Miss coaches have high hopes.

“Taylor has made a lot of progress,” Holeman said. “Her transition from freshman to sophomore year I think is going to be tremendous. She has outstanding speed and can strike a ball as well as any female in the country. I think it took her a year to kind of develop and make that transition, but through the spring and the summer she’s done that. People will know about Taylor this fall.”

Junior Perryn Tyler and redshirt-freshman Lily Crabtree will help provide even further depth to the position, while a trio of athletic freshmen Kelsey Breathitt, Abbie Curran and Sofia Lindell could make an immediate impact on the Rebel attack.

“All three of those freshmen have great speed,” Holeman said. “They can all score goals, and all three of them will compete for a starting spot. They give us a lot of depth up top.”

SCHEDULE

Going through all the teams in the Southeastern Conference can be a daunting task, but it’s that competition that prepares teams for NCAA Tournament bids and postseason success. Last year, six of the 12 league squads advanced to the Big Dance. For Ole Miss to be one of those teams this season, it will have to get through a schedule that includes home matches against Arkansas, LSU, Tennessee, Georgia and Kentucky and road contests at Auburn, Alabama, Florida, South Carolina, Vanderbilt and Mississippi State.

“I said before last season that we could potentially send eight teams to the NCAA Tournament,” Holeman said. “We finished seventh, and the top six went to the NCAA Touranment. This year it will be even stronger. Everyone’s making strides. Everyone’s making improvements. I’ll say it again; there are definitely eight or nine teams that are NCAA-caliber teams in the SEC. That makes for one of the toughest schedules in the country.”

The non-league slate features a match at perennial power SMU and home games versus defending Conference USA champion Memphis and the Big 12’s Colorado and Oklahoma. Ole Miss also takes on Western Kentucky, TCU, Southern Miss and Middle Tennessee.

“We definitely have a schedule that’s going to prepare us for the rigors of SEC competition,” Holeman said. “It’s going to be a grind. We’re going to have to bring it every single time we step on the field. There are no easy matches, and that’s the way we want it. That’s what makes it so exciting.”

The University of Mississippi Athletics

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