The University of Mississippi Athletics
Rebels Back Home for SEC Play
9/24/2015 | Soccer
MATCHUP: Ole Miss (6-2-2, 0-2-0 SEC) vs. Alabama (4-4-2, 1-1-0 SEC)
Date: Sept. 25, 2015, 7 p.m. CT
Location: Oxford, Miss.
Venue: Ole Miss Soccer Stadium
Capacity: 1,500
Television: SEC Network+
Richard Cross, play-by-play
Ian Banner/Holly Hansarling, analysts
Live Stats:
Series: Ole Miss leads 14-7
Last Game: Ole Miss won, 1-0
Tuscaloosa, Ala.
Oct. 5, 2014
MATCHUP: Ole Miss (6-2-2, 0-2-0 SEC) vs. LSU (7-1-2, 1-1-0 SEC)
Date: Sept. 27, 2015, 7 p.m. CT
Location: Oxford, Miss.
Venue: Ole Miss Soccer Stadium
Capacity: 1,500
Television: SEC Network+
Richard Cross, play-by-play
Ian Banner/Holly Hansarling, analysts
Live Stats:
Series: LSU leads 9-7-4
Last Game: Ole Miss won, 1-0
Baton Rouge, La.
Oct. 18, 2013
PROMOTIONS
- Friday: World Pharmacists Day- First fans to arrive will receive a powder blue Hotty Toddy T-Shirt!
- Sunday: Student-Athlete Support Night- Ole Miss Soccer welcomes the Newcomers Club!
KICKERS
- Ole Miss has faced three nationally ranked teams the past three Friday nights
- The Rebels are No. 35 in the RPI and also receiving votes in the NSCAA poll
- Freshman CeCe Kizer leads the nation with five game-winning goals and third in the SEC with nine total
- CeCe Kizer's nine goals are also the most scored by an Ole Miss freshman since Kelly Renie recorded 18 goals during the 2002 season
- With a win over Memphis, the Rebels locked up an unbeaten non-conference campaign (6-0-2) for the third time in school history and second time under head coach Matthew Mott
- Junior Addie Forbus and freshman CeCe Kizer have combined to score 15 of the Rebels' 22 goals, including the last six over the past four games
BATTLING 'BAMA
The Crimson Tide (4-4-2, 1-1-0 SEC) heads to Oxford after a split weekend on their home pitch, dropping a match to Kentucky and taking the 2-0 win over Jacksonville State. Celia Jimenez leads the attack for the Tide, totaling four goals and eight points on the season. Alexis Mouton follows closely behind with two goals for four points. Alabama is one of the lowest scoring teams in the SEC, having scored just eight goals in 10 games. However, the Crimson Tide makes up for it on the other side of the field as their defense has surrendered only seven goals this season, ranking fourth in the SEC. The conference matchup will mark the 22nd time the two teams have met on the pitch with Ole Miss holding a 14-7 advantage in the all-time series. The Rebels have won the past four contests as well as nine of the last 10 meetings. Last season's matchup resulted in a 1-0 victory for Ole Miss on the Tide's home pitch. Alabama will return to the Ole Miss Soccer Stadium in 2015 led by head coach Wes Hart, who is in his first season with the Tide.
TRACKING THE TIGERS
The weekend homestand continues for the Rebels when LSU takes the pitch at the Ole Miss Soccer Stadium on Sunday at 7 p.m. The Tigers (7-1-2, 1-1-0 SEC) will face Auburn on Friday before coming to Oxford with head coach Brian Lee, who has been a part of the LSU program since 2005. LSU earned votes in this week's TopDrawerSoccer.com Top 25 poll, as well as the National Soccer Coaches Association of America poll. LSU's senior midfielder Natalia Gomez-Junco has been a standout player this season. This week Gomez-Junco was named the SEC Defensive Player of the Week by the conference office and also picked up a selection to the TopDrawerSoccer.com Women's National Team of the Week. LSU is also led on the forward attack by the duo Jorian Baucom and Summer Clarke. Baucom leads the conference in goals with 10, while Clarke has seven on the season. When facing off against one another, LSU leads the series, 9-7-4. The last time LSU and Ole Miss met on the pitch was 2013 in Baton Rouge when the Rebels defeated then-No. 25 LSU 1-0.
UNBEATEN IN NON-CONFERENCE
With a win over Memphis in the final non-conference match of the regular season, the Rebels locked up an unbeaten non-conference campaign (6-0-2) for the third time in school history and second time under head coach Matthew Mott. The Rebels were also undefeated in the non-conference portion of the schedule during the 2002 and 2012 campaigns, going 8-0-1 in 2002 and 7-0-0 in 2012.
KIZER ROLLING
The Rebels are now 6-2-2 overall on the 2015 campaign behind the goal scoring of freshman CeCe Kizer. The fast forward five game-winning goals give her the top mark in the nation. Kizer scored her fifth game-winning goal of the season in overtime against rival Memphis, lifting Ole Miss to a 2-1 comeback victory in the 98th minute of play. The matchup against Memphis also marked the second multi-goal game of Kizer's young career, and with a total of nine goals she ranks third in the SEC. Kizer's nine goals are also the most scored by an Ole Miss freshman since Kelly Renie recorded 18 goals during the 2002 season.
FACING RANKED TEAMS
After facing No. 11 Florida last Friday, the Rebels played against a ranked foe for the third Friday in a row. The high level of competition within the conference was also on display during these Friday matchups as two of the three ranked teams were also SEC opponents. The three-fold began on Sept. 4 when the Rebels took on then-No. 19 ranked UCF. in a non-conference battle that resulted in a draw. The following Friday, the Ole Miss soccer team stepped onto the home pitch and squared off against No. 18 Kentucky before traveling to Florida last week.
FORWARDS ON THE ATTACK
With 22 goals in 10 games, Ole Miss ranks sixth in the SEC. A large part of the scoring success can be credited to a pair of forwards in junior Addie Forbus and freshman CeCe Kizer. Kizer paces the Rebels with nine goals, while Forbus has found the back of the net six times. Combining for 15 goals this season, the dynamic duo has been a major factor to the Rebels' early success. Kizer's nine goals give her 18 points on the 2015 campaign, which is third in the conference. Along with her six goals, Forbus has added a pair of assists for a total of 14 points, placing her seventh in the SEC.
SUCCESS AT HOME
The Rebels have seen their fair share of success on the home pitch over the history of the program with a 110-44-17 all-time record at Ole Miss Soccer Stadium. Before spending last weekend on the road, Ole Miss concluded a seven-game homestand, going 5-1-1 during the four-week stretch. The Rebels boast a 36-14-10 all-time record at home during the Matthew Mott era.
NEW KEEPER, 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. She has been an anchor in the goal for the Rebels so far this season. With Merritt getting the starts and playing the majority of the minutes, the Ole Miss backline pitched four shutouts through the first six games of the season. Merritt earned the victory in goal at Memphis on Sunday, marking five saves, including a one-on-one stop in overtime, and holding the Tigers scoreless for the final 90 minutes. Merritt also made a career-high eight saves at No. 11 Florida.
TIGERS ON THE HORIZON
Ole Miss will be back on the road next weekend to continue SEC action. The Rebels will head to Missouri for a 7 p.m. matchup on Friday, Oct. 2 for their only game of the weekend. Ole Miss will not play after the Missouri match until the following Friday when they remain on the road to face Arkansas.
