The University of Mississippi Athletics
Rebels Ready to Kick Off 2015 Season
8/20/2015 | Soccer
MATCHUP: Ole Miss at Florida Gulf Coast
Date: August 21, 2015
Location: Ft. Myers, Fla.
Venue: FGCU Soccer Complex
Capacity: 1,500
Television: None
Series: First Meeting
Last Game: N/A
MATCHUP: Boise State at Ole Miss
Date: August 23, 2015
Location: Oxford, Miss.
Venue: Ole Miss Soccer Stadium
Capacity: 1,500
Television: SEC Network+
Richard Cross, play-by-play
Ian Banner, analyst
Live Video: OleMissSports.com
Series: First Meeting
Last Game: N/A
KICKERS
- Ole Miss will start the season on the road for the first time since 2009
- The Rebels defeated Central Arkansas 2-0 in its lone exhibition match, scoring twice in the first 12 minutes
- Ole Miss will have one of the most experienced teams in the country for the 2015 season as 19 letterwinners, including 10 starters, return from last year's squad that went 8-6-5
- The Rebels lost goalkeeper Kelly McCormick to graduation as she finished her career as the program's all-time leader in multiple categories in goal
- 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
- Coach Mott has produced 52 wins over the previous five seasons and took the Rebels to the NCAA Tournament in 2013 as part of a record-breaking season for the program.
EYE ON THE EAGLES
FGCU earned statement victories during the preseason, taking down nationally-ranked foes Florida and UCF in exhibition play. The Eagles have notched the last five Atlantic Sun Regular Season Championships and have been touted to have another successful season. FGCU has once again been tabbed as the preseason favorite in the conference by snagging 62 points in the poll with six first-place votes. In addition, several other preseason accolades were given to Eagles by the Atlantic Sun Conference. Five of the Eagles' players were named to the preseason all-conference team including Tabby Tindell, Emma Blackwell, Brittany Brown, Ally Kasun and Paulina Speckmaier.
FGCU will return a stacked team for the 2015 season, which puts both the 2014 Atlantic Sun Player of the Year (Tindell) and the 2014 Atlantic Sun Defensive Player of the Year (Blackwell) back on the roster. The Eagles were 17-4 overall on the 2014 season and an undefeated 7-0 against conference opponents. As head coach of the Eagles, Jim Blankenship has led the team to eight double-digit win seasons since the program began in 2007. Blankenship begins the 2015 season with a 101-36-17 overall record.
SCOUTING BOISE STATE
Much like the Rebels, Boise State returns a veteran team as nine of the 11 starters are back on the field for the Broncos. Boise State was predicted to finish sixth in the Mountain West Conference preseason poll. The Broncos posted a 9-9-3 overall record on the 2014 season with a 6-5 record against in-conference foes. Boise State brings back its top scorer from last season in senior midfielder Brooke Heidemann who notched six goals, three assists and 15 points in 2014.
Head coach Jim Thomas returns for his third year leading the program holding a 21-16-6 record at the school. Boise State opens the 2015 season with a match at Samford University on Friday night. Following this game, the Broncos will head to the Ole Miss Soccer Stadium to take on the Rebels August 23 at 12 p.m. The meeting between Ole Miss and Boise State will be the first time the two schools faceoff.
SUCCESS IN OPENERS
The Rebels have a record for success in season openers, holding a 13-5-2 overall record when kicking off a new year. The Rebels boast an impressive 10-1-2 mark when beginning the season in the Ole Miss Soccer Stadium. However, the Rebels will lift the lid on the 2015 campaign away from their home pitch. Facing off against FGCU in Ft. Myers, Florida, Ole Miss will start the season on an opposing team's field for the first time since 2009.
THE ATTACK IS BACK
With 10 starters returning, the entire offensive attack is back for the 2015 campaign. The quick offense returns two of the team's top scorers from the 2014 season in senior Olivia Harrison and junior Addie Forbus. Harrison and Forbus combined for 14 goals, scoring seven apiece. Jessica Hiskey added six goals during the 2014 campaign and will be a leader again this year as one of six seniors on the team.
VETERAN BACK LINE AND NEW KEEPER
Ole Miss lost a lone senior on defense in goalkeeper Kelly McCormick. McCormick finished her stellar career as the all-time leader in multiple categories in goal, including the leading spot in career goalkeeper wins (42). The Rebels will look to fill the void as redshirt freshmen Marnie Merritt and sophomore Madi Killeen vie for the starting position. Both of these Rebels show promising qualities and a bright future as their careers begin to takeoff. Despite the loss of McCormick, the defense that helped produce five clean sheets is back and tougher than ever. Seniors Maddie Friedmann, Jessica Hiskey and Samantha Sanders return for their fourth season. More veteran players return in juniors Georgia Russell and Melissa Capoccacia. The Rebels also add the freshmen Susie Dineen, who helped lead Marian High School to a pair of state championships and is sure to assist to the defensive side of the attack.
REBELS BLANK BEARS IN EXHIBITION
The Ole Miss soccer team started the 2015-16 athletics season with a 2-0 win in an exhibition match against the University of Central Arkansas at the Ole Miss Soccer Stadium on Friday, Aug. 14. The Rebels got off to a hot start and never looked back, scoring in the fourth minute of the game. A sharp shot took the ball across the middle of the box into the right side of the goal at the 41:06 mark of the first half. With the Rebels continuing to dominate early on, another goal soared into the right side of the net seven minutes later to give Ole Miss a 2-0 advantage that carried on throughout the remainder of the match. The Rebels outshot UCA 9-0 in the first half, followed by 15-2 in the second. Ole Miss also earned seven corner kicks against the Bears in the first half alone, tallying 10 corner kicks on the night.
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 a 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.
HOMESTAND CONTINUES
The Rebels begin a seven-game homestand beginning on Sunday against Boise State. Following Boise State, Ole Miss will host Louisiana-Lafayette and Austin Peay. The Rebels will matchup against the Ragin' Cajuns on Friday, August 28 at 7 p.m. and Austin Peay the following Sunday at 3 p.m. Both games will be broadcast on SECNetwork+.
