The University of Mississippi Athletics
Rebels Kick Off Home Stand With Ragin' Cajuns Sunday
8/24/2012 | Soccer
Aug. 24, 2012
OXFORD, Miss. - After picking up a pair of road wins on the way to a 3-0 start to the season, the Ole Miss soccer team returns home to kick-off a six-match home stand against the Ragin' Cajuns of Louisiana-Lafayette on Sunday at 1 p.m.
Sunday's match will be "Sumo Sunday" where two fans will get to don sumo suits and hit the field at halftime for a wrestling contest to win prizes. Fans also have a chance to win free football tickets to the 2012 season opener.
The Rebels, who have won three straight matches to open the season for the second straight season, picked up a win over Saint Louis in the season opener before taking road wins over Middle Tennessee and Troy in a stretch of three games over a six-day period.
"It's good to be home and start our six-match home stand," said Ole Miss head coach Matt Mott. "We're looking to continue to build on the momentum we've created through the first three games and come out with a lot of energy. It's a good opponent in Louisiana-Lafayette and we're excited to get back out on the field and play."
Ole Miss has had several players step up in the early stages of the season as the Rebels have out-scored opponents 11-to-2 on the year.
Leading the way are a pair of juniors in forwards Mandy McCalla and Rafaelle Souza. McCalla has posted three goals and three assists on the season to lead the team in points with nine through three games. Souza is right behind her with three goals and an assist to tally seven points.
Despite the burst of goals from the duo of McCalla and Souza, the Rebels have been getting offensive production across the board as four other players - including three freshmen - have notched goals this season and six additional players have tallied assists on the Rebels' 11 goals.
The Rebel defense has been solid this season, allowing only the two goals and culminating in the first shutout of the season on Wednesday when Ole Miss blanked Troy 5-0. In that game, the Rebel defense allowed only five shots and one on goal. On the year, the Rebels have allowed only 23 shots this season and sophomore goalkeeper Kelly McCormick has posted 21 saves on those shots.
Louisiana-Lafayette will host Prairie View A&M on Friday night before facing the Rebels in the Sunday contest. The Ragin' Cajuns hold a 1-0 record heading into the weekend after picking up a win over McNeese State in its season opener.
