The University of Mississippi Athletics
Rebels Host Central Arkansas In Exhibition Match
8/13/2015 | Soccer
OXFORD, Miss. - The Ole Miss soccer team will kick off the 2015-16 athletics season with an exhibition match on Friday at 6:30p.m against the University of Central Arkansas at the Ole Miss Soccer Stadium.
After Friday's match, the Rebels will travel to Ft. Myers, Florida to begin the 2015 regular season. Ole Miss will face Florida Gulf Coast before coming back to the home turf to face-off against Boise State on August 23 at 12p.m.
MATCHUP (EXHIBITION)
Date: August 14 2015
Location: Oxford, Miss.
Venue: Ole Miss Soccer Stadium
Capacity: 1,500
Television: None
Live Video: None
Series: First Meeting
Last Game: N/A
KICKERS
- Ole Miss will have one of the most experienced teams in the country for the 2015 season as 19 letterwinners return from last year's squad that went 8-6-5
- The Rebels return 10 starters from last year's team
- Olivia Harrison (7), Addie Forbus (7) and Jessica Hiskey (6) combined for 20 of the team's 30 goals last season; all three are back to lead the offensive attack
- Head Coach Matthew Mott begins his sixth year at the helm of the Ole Miss soccer program
- This is the first meeting between the two schools.
- The UCA Bears (5-12-2, 1-9-1 conference) return a lone senior and a well-rounded junior class that looks to lead the team.
- The Bears competed in the Southland Conference Championship Tournament in 2013, but missed the mark in 2014. The Bears bring back a team with experience ready to compete in the 2015 season.
SCOUTING THE BEARS
In 2014, the Bears marked a 5-12-2 overall record and a 1-9-1 conference record. After reaching the Southland Conference Championship in 2013 and missing the tournament in 2014, the Bears start their journey back with a trip to Oxford, Miss. for the exhibition match. Central Arkansas brings in a team with a lone senior and five juniors to lead their squad.
LOOKING BACK AT 2014
A youthful Ole Miss squad went 8-6-5 during the 2014 campaign. The Rebels posted the third straight winning season of Coach Mott's career, all while playing in the talent-stacked Southeastern Conference. The Ole Miss soccer team also saw several accolades awarded to members of the team. Maddie Friedmann and Jessica Hiskey were both selected to the CoSIDA Academic All-District team. Senior goalkeeper Kelly McCormick was named to the Southeastern Conference Community Service team and Addie Forbus was a second team All-SEC selection by CollegeSportsMadness.com. Although the Rebels missed postseason play, the leadership and experience in the 19 returning players sets the squad up for a great run in 2015.
PLETHORA OF HOME GAMES HIGHLIGHT SCHEDULE
There will be plenty of times for fans to check out the Ole Miss soccer team on its home pitch. The Rebels play 12 of its 19 regular season games at the Ole Miss Soccer Stadium, including seven straight from August 23 until September 13. Ole Miss will go on the road for seven contests, with five of them coming against teams in the postseason last year -- four of whom advanced past the first round and two who advanced to at least the Elite Eight of the NCAA Tournament in 2015.
OLE MISS TO HOST KENTUCKY ON SEC NETWORK
The Ole Miss Rebels will host the Kentucky Wildcats in nationally-televised match on the SEC Network, Sept. 11, at 6 p.m., as a part of a Bluegrass weekend when Ole Miss will also host the Louisville Cardinals in a Sunday afternoon matchup. Ole Miss will play a schedule that features 12 home contests this fall with each home match being broadcast as a part of the SEC Network+ digital platform. The Kentucky match, which is being picked up by the SEC Network itself will be broadcast on both platforms.
REBELS SELECTED 10th IN SEC PRESEASON POLL
The Southeastern Conference released its annual preseason coaches poll on Monday, and Ole Miss was predicted to finish 10th in the conference. The University of Florida topped the poll with 11 first place votes, followed by Texas A&M and the University of Kentucky rounding out the top three.
TERRY JOINS REBELS' COACHING STAFF FOR 2015
In the offseason, Ole Miss tabbed Melissa Terry of the University of Oklahoma to join the Rebel soccer staff as an assistant coach. An All-America selection as a collegiate player, Terry comes to Ole Miss with a wealth of experience working in collegiate athletics and brings a variety of knowledge on different aspects of collegiate soccer after working with successful women's soccer programs, including a pair of College Cup appearances at Florida State and a four-year playing career at Central Oklahoma. Terry joins the Rebels' coaching staff after serving the previous three seasons working in strength and conditioning at the University of Oklahoma and serving as a color analyst for the Sooner Sports Network for soccer games broadcast by Fox Sports TV.
Prior to her time at Oklahoma, Terry spent three seasons working with the women's soccer program at Florida State as the Seminoles advanced to the Women's College Cup in 2011 and 2012 as one of the final four teams standing in the NCAA Tournament both seasons. The 2010 team advanced to the Elite Eight in her first season with the Seminoles.
REGULAR SEASON STARTS ON THE ROAD
The Rebels will head to Ft. Meyers, Florida to kick off the 2015 campaign. The team will travel to Florida August 18th before spending the next two days team bonding and preparing for the season opener against Florida Gulf Coast. The Rebels face the FGCU Eagles on Friday night, August 21, at 6 p.m.
