The University of Mississippi Athletics
Ole Miss Soccer Kicks Off New Era Friday
8/18/2010 | Soccer
Aug. 18, 2010
A new era of Rebel Soccer begins on Friday with the season opener against Middle Tennessee at 7 p.m. at the Ole Miss Soccer Stadium. Admission is free for all fans.
SEASON OUTLOOK
Matthew Mott takes over as the second head coach in program history, but unlike many programs that move into a new era, he will not have to start from scratch.
The Rebels are flying high off a 2009 season that saw them compile a 13-6-2 overall record, finish third overall in the Southeastern Conference with a 7-2-2 mark and reach the NCAA Tournament for the fourth time in school history.
Following the season, former coach Steve Holeman left to fill the head coaching vacancy at Georgia, which paved the way for Mott to return to the SEC.
After four highly successful seasons as an assistant at the University of Texas, Mott returns to the SEC, where he was an assistant at Auburn for seven years.
"I think Ole Miss is a special place, and I am thrilled to have the opportunity to be the head soccer coach here," Mott said. "The SEC is one of the top conferences for women's soccer, and I look forward to helping our team compete for the SEC West and the overall title for years to come."
He takes over an Ole Miss squad that lost five starters from last year, including senior tri-captains Danielle Johnson, Hannah Weatherly and Mallory Coleman. However, the Rebels return a core of six starters and several key contributors from the NCAA Tournament team. Leading the way are preseason All-SEC midfielder Taylor Cunningham, the team's lone senior, and junior defender Meredith Snow.
Other returning starters are junior forward Kelsey Breathitt, junior forward Dylan Jordan, junior goalkeeper Alley Ronaldi and sophomore defender Alix Hildal. Throw in juniors Abbie Curran, Kendyl Mygatt and Jenna Strother, and it's a very solid core of veterans for Mott to rely on in his first season.
"I think there's great momentum for our program going into the fall," Mott said. "The girls have been working hard throughout the summer and in preseason camp. They had a great year last year, and we want to build on that. Every team every year is different. We lost three great seniors that we will need to replace, but I think we have a good group that's starting to come together."
THE DEFENSE
Ole Miss has long been known as a premier defensive unit, and Mott would like to see that continue in 2010.
Despite losing four-time All-SEC defensive expert Danielle Johnson, who played all over the field for Ole Miss, the Rebels return defenders Meredith Snow and Alix Hildal, who have each started every game of their Rebel careers. That duo will anchor a back line that allowed just 14 goals and helped Ole Miss finish 17th in the nation with a 0.64 goals-against average last season. The other defender spots are up for grabs, though, following the departure of Mallory Coleman and Brittany King. Vying for primary playing time in the back will be veterans Abbie Curran and Kendyl Mygatt, both of whom have primarily played up top in their Rebel careers, and newcomers A'shanae Monroe, Ally Nikolaus and Chelsea Heimann.
"We will have some new faces along the back line," Mott said. "We will definitely count on Mereidth and Alix to anchor that group, and we will need some girls to step up into those other spots."
Junior Jenna Strother will utilize her crafty technical abilities as a holding midfielder, further bolstering the Rebels' defensive efforts.
THE KEEPERS
Junior Alley Ronaldi is the incumbent goalkeeper who produced one of the finest seasons in school history between the posts last year. Her 0.67 GAA and nine shutouts were the second-best marks ever by a Rebel keeper in a season. Freshman Sarah Story, who was a first team All-State pick in Alabama last year, is expected to provide strong competition at the position.
"Alley has returned in great form to preseason camp," Mott said. "We will depend on her SEC experience in goal. Sarah has come in and really established herself as a solid backup. She is still only a freshman, and we expect great things from her in the future."
THE OFFENSE
Ole Miss lost its top goal scorer from last year in All-SEC forward Hannah Weatherly (nine goals), but the Rebels return the next three scorers from that squad in junior forward Dylan Jordan (six goals, five assists), senior midfielder Taylor Cunningham (six goals, three assists) and junior forward Kelsey Breathitt (five goals, four assists).
The Rebels finished second in the SEC with 2.1 goals per game a year ago, and Mott's coaching philosophy could bring even more excitement to the team's attack in 2010.
"Ole Miss has always been a good possession-oriented team, and we want to build on that foundation by having a team that possesses with the intent to attack and score goals," Mott said.
Cunningham, the team captain and a preseason all-league pick, will be counted on to lead the attack with her pace and laser-beam shots. Jordan brings her warrior mentality to the attack and should also be a key piece. Breathitt has had a strong preseason camp and brings an unparalleled level of fitness to the pitch.
"We have some veterans that should be able to produce results for us in the attack," Mott said. "It's our job as coaches to put them in the best positions to do this, but I think we have some good players with which to work."
Joining the veterans in the attack will be a pair of highly rated freshmen, Mandy McCalla and Erin Emerson, who both hail from Fayetteville, Ga., and played for the same club team in the Atlanta area.
"Mandy has been very impressive in preseason camp as an attacking midfielder," Mott said. "Erin has shown a dynamic, feisty style of play up top that will help us."
Several more players will garner minutes and add depth to the lineup as the Rebels take on a challenging non-league schedule that includes nationally ranked programs like Santa Clara and Memphis, as well as the always rigorous SEC slate. Mott's team will seek to maintain and even elevate its status as one of the elite SEC squads, competing for the Western Division and overall league titles and yet another trip to the Big Dance.
