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The University of Mississippi Athletics
Ole Miss Soccer Hosts No. 16 Florida Sunday
10/7/2016 | Soccer
Match 15 - vs. No. 16 Florida
Date: Oct. 9, 2016
First Kick: 5 p.m.
Location: Oxford, Miss.
Venue: Ole Miss Soccer Stadium
TV: SEC Network
Jonathan Yardley (play-by-play)
Cat Whitehill (analyst)
Live Stats: Series: Florida leads, 19-2-1
Twitter Updates: @OleMissSoccer
KICKERS
- After two-straight wins on the road, Ole Miss returns to Oxford for the first of two-straight at home Sunday versus No. 16 Florida. The match will be the Rebels' third-straight home game on SEC Network, and will kick at 5 p.m.
- The Rebels enter the matchup tied for seventh in the SEC standings with nine points and 3-3 record, while the Gators are tied for fourth with 12 points and a 4-2 league mark.
- Ole Miss has won twice all-time against Florida, with the victories coming in 2005 and 2009, both at home.
- The Rebels face a quick turnaround after picking up a key road win at Alabama Thursday night (2-1).
- In the match with the Crimson Tide, a pair of freshmen in Alley Houghton and Maddi Falter handled the scoring, as the Rebels' last three goals overall have come off the feet of a first-year player.
- The stretch of the two home games in six days caps Ole Miss' 11 home contests in 2016, as the seven seniors will be honored in the next match on Friday against Texas A&M (7 p.m.).
- Sophomore CeCe Kizer has nine points in her last four matches (3 goals, 3 assists), and leads the team in helpers with six on the year.
- The match at Alabama brought the ninth different starting 11 for Ole Miss this season, as 18 players overall have drawn starts including five freshmen.
- Ole Miss has by far the toughest schedule remaining of any team in the league, with three-straight matches on the road to close the regular season (Georgia, Vanderbilt, South Carolina).
- Last week, Ole Miss was named a recipient of the NSCAA Team Academic Award for the 2015-16 academic year with a team GPA of 3.62, which led the SEC and ranks first among power-five schools, and tied for sixth in all of NCAA Division I women's soccer.
SCOUTING FLORIDA
Led by longtime head coach Becky Burleigh in her 22nd season, the Gators are 9-3 overall and 4-2 in SEC play in 2016. The defending SEC Regular Season Champions and SEC Tournament Champions from a year ago sit 10th in the current NCAA RPI rankings, and 16th in the NSCAA Top 25. The Gators have won three-straight and are coming off a 3-1 win over Georgia at home last Thursday. In the two games prior, Florida defeated Tennessee, 2-0, at home, and shutout LSU, 3-0, on the road in Baton Rouge. After beginning SEC play with a 2-1 win at Kentucky on Sept. 8, Florida dropped a close one to Arkansas (2-1), before falling 3-0 at home to Auburn on Sept. 22. The Gators faced a tough non-conference slate early on taking on No. 3 Stanford (1-0 loss) and No. 15 UCLA (4-3 win). Other wins for the Gators came over Iowa State (5-2), Florida Atlantic (3-0), Oklahoma State (7-2) and UCF (3-2). Averaging 2.75 goals per game, Florida boasts the SEC's top offense and the No. 8 scoring offense in the nation. The Gators are seventh overall in total goals (33), seventh in points (95), seventh in shots per game (19.50) and third nationally in shots on goal per game (9.50). Three-time all-american Savannah Jordan is responsible for 10 of the 33 goals as she's totaled 27 points off the 10 scores and seven assists thus far. Meggie Dougherty Howard and Melanie Monteagudo both have five goals each, while nine other Gators have also scored. Florida's defense has allowed 17 goals all season (1.42 average), led by goalkeeper Kaylan Marckese's 39 saves and three shutouts in goal.
SERIES HISTORY - FLORIDA
Florida has had the upper hand in the series dating back to 1996, leading it 19-2-1. The Rebels' two wins in the series came in 2009 and 2005. The 2005 meeting resulted in a 1-0 victory for Ole Miss over then No. 11 Florida at home, while the 2009 team claimed a 3-2, double overtime victory vs. then No. 7 Florida, also in Oxford. Despite trailing in the series, nine of the matchups have been decided by one goal including seven of the last 12.
LAST TIME OUT
Ole Miss won its second-straight game and third in the last four outings Thursday night at Alabama. A pair of freshmen in Alley Houghton and Maddi Falter handled the scoring for the Rebels, as Houghton scored in her second-straight match, while Falter netted the first of her collegiate career. Houghton's score came in the 23rd minute off an assist from CeCe Kizer, before the Crimson Tide went on to tie it up in the 60th minute. Ten minutes later, Falter punched through the game-winner off another beautiful assist from Kizer resulting in a 2-1 road win for the Rebels. The victory marked the sixth in a row over the Crimson Tide, as the Ole Miss senior class will finish their careers having never lost to Alabama.
ACADEMIC ACCOLADES
While the on-field success has been evident, so has the Rebels' work in the classroom under head coach Matt Mott. It was announced in October that Ole Miss was a recipient of the NSCAA Team Academic Award for the 2015-16 academic year. The award honors all teams with a cumulative GPA of 3.00 or higher. The Rebels received the award for the sixth-straight season and 12th time in program history after posting the SEC's highest GPA at 3.62. South Carolina was the next closest school with a 3.51 GPA as nine SEC teams made the list. Overall, the Rebels' 3.62 GPA in 2015-16 ranked tied for sixth among all NCAA Division I women's soccer teams across the country, and first among power-five schools.
FANTASTIC FRESHMEN
It's no secret the 2016 freshmen class has made an impact this season, and they've come on even stronger as of late. The last three goals scored by the Rebels have all come off the feet of freshmen in Alley Houghton and Maddi Falter. Houghton scored the game-winner in double overtime at Kentucky last weekend (2-1 win), and came back in the most recent outing with another score in the 2-1 win at Alabama. Also in that match, Falter scored the first goal of her collegiate career in the 70th minute for the game-winner, sealing the road victory for Ole Miss. Overall, six of the seven freshmen have seen the field this year, as Madison Meador has started in all 14 contests, while Grace Waugh has started in six-straight. Houghton earned her first start in the win at Alabama, while Falter has drawn four starts and Gabby Little has started in 10-of-14 matches played.
UP NEXT
The Rebels close out the 2016 home slate Friday, Oct. 14, against Texas A&M at 7 p.m. Ole Miss' six seniors will be honored as part of Senior Night.
Keep up with all the latest news and information on the Rebels by following Ole Miss Soccer on Twitter at @OleMissSoccer, on Facebook at Facebook.com/OleMissSoccer, and on Instagram at Instagram.com/officialolemisssoccer. Also follow head coach Matt Mott on Twitter at @CoachMattMott. Additionally fans can get a behind the scenes look at Ole Miss Athletics on Snapchat under the handle, @WeAreOleMiss.
