The University of Mississippi Athletics
Ole Miss Battles Bluegrass Foes in Weekend Slate
9/10/2015 | Soccer
MATCHUP: Ole Miss (4-0-2) vs. No. 18 Kentucky (5-1-0)
Date: Sept. 11, 2015, 6 p.m. CT
Location: Oxford, Miss.
Venue: Ole Miss Soccer Stadium
Capacity: 1,500
Television: SEC Network
Pete Pranica, play-by-play
Kate Markgraf, analyst
Live Stats:
Series: Series tied, 10-10-1
Last Game: Kentucky won, 3-0
Lexington, Ky.
Oct. 17, 2014
PROMOTIONS
Heroes Night- The first 150 fans will receive a commemorative Ole Miss Heroes Soccer Shirt!
MATCHUP: Ole Miss (4-0-2) vs. Louisville (2-2-1)
Date: Sept. 13, 2015, 12 p.m. CT
Location: Oxford, Miss.
Venue: Ole Miss Soccer Stadium
Capacity: 1,500
Television: SEC Network+
Richard Cross, play-by-play
Ian Banner, analyst
Live Stats:
Series: Louisville leads, 1-0
Last Game: Louisville won, 1-0
Louisville, Ky.
Aug. 29, 2014
PROMOTIONS
Soccer Gets Social Day - Fans will receive an Ole Miss Soccer Tumbler!
KICKERS
- Ole Miss opens up SEC play against No. 18 Kentucky, facing a ranked team for the second straight Friday
- The Rebels are unbeaten through the first six games of the season for the fifth time in program history and second under head coach Matthew Mott.
- Ole Miss cracks the top 25 in shutout percentage (.667-20th), total goals (15-23rd) and goals against average (.461-24th).
- Freshman CeCe Kizer is the reigning SEC Freshman of the Week
- Kizer leads the SEC in goals (6) and ranks fifth in the nation
- The Rebels are 4-0-1 in their seven-game homestand, with two games remaining this weekend
CHECKING OUT KENTUCKY
The Rebels begin SEC play against Kentucky in an SEC Network televised match on Friday night at 6 p.m. Kentucky ranks as one of the top teams in the country, pulling the No. 18 spot in this week's Top Drawer Soccer Poll with a 5-1-0 record on the season thus far. The accolades continue for UK as one of the team members, Katy Keen, was named SEC Co-Offensive Player of the Week, the league office announced on Tuesday. Keen scored the game-winning goal in the "Battle of the Bluegrass" over rival Louisville for her first-career goal. Though Keen's performance at midfielder has been outstanding, UK brings back a team that has seen great success over the last four seasons. For the first time in program history, UK has made four-straight NCAA Tournaments. The Wildcats set a program record for the best season in program history in 2014 with an appearance in the Sweet 16, going 16-7-1. Head coach Jon Lipsitz is back for his seventh season with UK. The last time Ole Miss and Kentucky met was in 2014 in Lexington, Ky., where the Wildcats emerged with a 3-0 win. The Rebels and Wildcats hold an even 10-10-1 record when playing against one another.
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.
SCOUTING LOUISVILLE
Ole Miss continues with the Bluegrass theme as Louisville travels to Oxford, Miss. to take on the Rebels Sunday, Sept. 13, at noon. The teams have only met once before, last season, with the two facing off in Louisville and resulting in a 1-0 Ole Miss loss. The Rebels seek to reconcile the loss against another well-coached, talented Louisville team. The Cards return 14 letterwinners, including senior forward Casey Whitfield, who sat out the 2014 season due to injury. The Louisville native scored six goals and added six assists during the 2013 campaign. Before stepping onto the pitch at the Ole Miss Soccer Stadium, Louisville will take on UAB in Birmingham in search of adding another win to the season. The Cardinals are currently 2-2-1 for the 2015 campaign and coached by Karen Ferguson-Dayes who is in her 16th season with the Cardinals. She has guided Louisville to four NCAA Tournament appearances, including a Sweet 16 appearance in 2011.
KIZER NAMED SEC FRESHMAN OF THE WEEK
Ole Miss soccer freshman CeCe Kizer was named SEC Freshman of the Week, the conference office announced Tuesday afternoon. Kizer scored two crucial goals over the past weekend to earn her first weekly award of her Ole Miss career. Kizer became the first Rebel to earn SEC Freshman of the Week honors since teammate Jessica Hiskey, Oct. 8, 2012. She was also the first offensive player to collect a weekly accolade from the conference since Rafaelle Souza in 2013.
Ole Miss remained unbeaten in 2015, improving to 4-0-2 on the season behind the scoring of Kizer. The Overland Park, Kansas, native continued the impressive start to her collegiate career by scoring two clutch goals this past weekend. She found the back of the net in the 89th minute to force overtime versus No. 19 UCF, Sept. 4. Two days later, her golden goal in the 96th minute gave the Rebels a 1-0 overtime victory over Little Rock.
Kizer leads the SEC with six goals this season, which ranks fifth in the nation. She has also recorded three game-winning goals, which tops the conference and is the third-most nationally. The freshman has found the back of the net in five consecutive games. Averaging one goal per game, Kizer ranks sixth nationally, while her 12 points are 13th in the country.
UNBEATEN START
Ole Miss is undefeated through the first six games of the season for the fifth time in program history and second under head coach Matthew Mott. The longest unbeaten streak in Rebel history also belongs to a Mott coached team. The 2012 soccer team posted an eight game win-streak to begin their campaign before going 13-9-0 on the season and competing in the SEC Tournament. The Rebels were also unbeaten through the first six games in 1998, 2002 and 2003.
REBELS IN THE RANKINGS
The Rebels can credit both sides of the pitch for their success to start the season; the offense is second in the conference with 15 goals this season, while the defense has shutout opponents in four of the team's six contests. Ole Miss cracks the nation's top 25 in the following statistical categories: shutout percentage (.667-20th), total goals (15-23rd) and goals against average (.461-24th).
SUCCESS AT HOME
The Rebels have seen their fair share of success on the home pitch over the history of the program with a 109-43-17 all-time record at Ole Miss Soccer Stadium. As Ole Miss concludes a seven-game homestand this weekend, the team is currently 4-0-1 at home for the 2015 campaign. The Rebels boast a 35-13-10 all-time record at home during the Matthew Mott era. Ole Miss will look to continue the success as Kentucky steps onto the field Friday night to kick off SEC play.
NEW GOALIES, NO PROBLEM
Losing Kelly McCormick to graduation, the Rebels entered 2015 needing to fill the shoes of the record-breaking goalkeeper. Enter redshirt freshman Marnie Merritt and redshirt sophomore Madi Killeen. With Merritt getting the starts and playing the majority of the minutes, the Ole Miss backline has pitched four shutouts through the first six games of the season. Merritt boasts a total save percentage of .786 with 11 saves on the 2015 campaign so far.
CONFERENCE FOES
The Rebels begin their journey in the SEC gauntlet beginning on September 11 when Kentucky travels to Oxford, Miss. to take the pitch at the Ole Miss Soccer Stadium. SEC play will continue the following weekend when the Rebels hit the road September 18 to face the University of Florida for the first away match in nearly a month. Both Kentucky and Florida received preseason first place votes in the Southeastern Conference.
REBELS SELECTED 10th IN SEC PRESEASON POLL
The Southeastern Conference released its annual preseason coaches' poll, 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.
HITTING THE ROAD
Ole Miss hits the road for the first time in nearly a month with back-to-back matches being played on an opposing team's pitch. The Rebels will head to Gainesville to face the University of Florida on Friday, September 18, at 7 p.m. continuing conference action. The Rebels remain on the road for Sunday as well, traveling to Memphis for another exciting night game with a 7 p.m. first touch.
