The University of Mississippi Athletics
No. 19 Ole Miss Hosts Memphis, Lipscomb
8/25/2016 | Soccer
Game 3 - Memphis
Date: Aug. 26, 2016
First Kick: 7 p.m.
Location: Oxford, Miss.
Venue: Ole Miss Soccer Stadium (1,500)
TV: SEC Network +
Richard Cross (play-by-play)
Ian Banner (analyst)
Live Stats:
Series: Ole Miss leads, 10-6-2
Last Match: Sept. 20, 2015
Ole Miss won, 2-1 (OT)
Twitter Updates: @OleMissSoccer
Game 4 - Lipscomb
Date: Aug. 28, 2016
First Kick: 6 p.m.
Location: Oxford, Miss.
Venue: Ole Miss Soccer Stadium (1,500)
TV: SEC Network +
Richard Cross (play-by-play)
Ian Banner (analyst)
Live Stats:
Series: Never met
Twitter Updates: @OleMissSoccer
Promotions
- Admission is FREE to ALL Ole Miss Soccer home games
- Friday, Aug. 26
- National Dog Day: free hotdogs to first 150 fans who Tweet a picture of them and their dog @OleMissSoccer using #WAOMSoccerPups
- Gretchen Harknett poster night
- Sunday, Aug. 28
- Kickin' Cancer Night: Ovarian Cancer awareness night presented by Baptist Hospital North Mississippi
Kickers
- No. 19 Ole Miss continues its four-game homestand this weekend against Memphis and Lipscomb.
- The Rebels jumped three spots to No. 19 in the NSCAA rankings this week, the second-straight season being inside the top-20.
- Friday's matchup features rival Memphis, who received votes in this week's NSCAA poll, while Sunday's contest against Lipcsomb is new territory for Ole Miss as the two sides have never played each other.
- Ole Miss is off to a 2-0 start for the first time since 2013. A 4-0 start would mark the eighth time a Rebel team has accomplished the feat.
- The Rebels wasted no time cranking up the offense in Friday's opener with Louisiana, scoring at the :42 mark.
- 1,335 fans packed the stands in the opener for the eighth-largest crowd in the history of the stadium.
- In Sunday's contest with Northwestern State, Ole Miss posted 31 shots, the most in a game since Aug. 31, 2012.
- With four goals in opening weekend, senior Addie Forbus moved up to a tie for eighth all-time in career goals (26) and career points (69).
- Forbus' four goals put her tied for first nationally for the most goals of any player in opening weekend.
- Goalkeeper Marnie Merritt was named SEC Defensive Player of the Week after recording back-to-back shutouts.
- Merritt's two shutouts brings her career total to nine, which is one off sixth place all-time. She's also fourth in career goals allowed average (1.00) and tenth in career saves (96).
- Four Rebels (Madison Meador, Gabby Little, Alley Houghton, Maddi Falter) made their collegiate debut last weekend, highlighted by Little's assist to Forbus in the win over Northwestern State.
- 84 percent (36-of-43 goals) of the Rebels' goal production from last season is back for the 2016 campaign.
Scouting Memphis
Memphis takes a 2-0 record into Friday's contest after two home wins over Southeastern Louisiana (4-1) and Western Kentucky (2-0) last weekend. The Tigers, led by 16th year head coach Brooks Monaghan, received votes in this week's NSCAA rankings. Through two matches Valerie Sanderson has paced the way with three goals and one assist, while three other players scored once each in opening weekend. The Tigers' goalkeeper, Mary Bard-Martel, played all 180 minutes in goal and recorded seven saves and one shutout. Memphis is coming off an 8-8-3 season in 2015 and 3-4-2 mark in league play.
Scouting Lipscomb
Lipscomb heads into the weekend with one of the tougher schedules to start with three SEC teams on the slate within the first four matches. The Bisons opened the season with Belmont at home, tying 1-1, before claiming a 2-0 win over Vanderbilt last Sunday. Lipscomb plays Mississippi State Friday night in Starkville prior to Sunday's match in Oxford. Olivia Doak has handled all the scoring through two matches with three goals off nine shots, while Natalie Duboise has assisted her twice. In goal, keeper Anna Buhigas tallied nine saves in opening weekend with one shutout.
Series History - Memphis
Ole Miss leads the all-time series, 10-6-2, over the Tigers entering Friday. The two sides have faced off every year except three -- 2012, 2002, 2000 -- dating back to 1995. The Rebels are 2-0-1 against the Tigers in the last three meetings, winning last year's contest 2-1 in overtime. The 2014 matchup resulted in a 1-1 tie, and Ole Miss won the 2013 game, 3-0. Memphis has been ranked three times in the previous meetings, most recently in 2011, and were also a top-25 team in 2009 and 2010. The Rebels hold the series advantage in games played in Oxford, 6-3-1.
Series History - Lipscomb
Ole Miss and Lipscomb will be meeting for the first time on Sunday.
Eighth-Largest Crowd in History Witnesses Season Opener
With the addition of a large-scale video board at the Ole Miss Soccer Stadium, the buzz was in the air Friday night in the opener against Louisiana. The stands were near capacity for the Rebels' 3-0 win, making it the eighth-largest crowd of 1,335 in the history of the stadium.
Merritt Named SEC Defensive Player of the Week
Following back-to-back shutouts to open the 2016 season, Marnie Merritt earned the SEC's first Defensive Player of the Week award. The weekly award is the second of Merritt's career after she was named SEC Freshman of the Week on Oct. 12 last season.
Merritt's start to the season went just as well as the team's 2-0 start as she didn't allow a goal all weekend. In Friday's opener with Louisiana-Lafayette, the Huntersville, N.C. native only had to defend four shots, none of which were on target. In Sunday's match versus Northwestern State, Merritt made three saves and recorded her second-straight shutout to begin just her sophomore campaign. As the vocal leader for the Ole Miss backline, Merritt and the Rebels kept its opening weekend opposition well in check, only allowing eight shots in the two matches combined.
Four Fresh Faces Make Rebel Debut
It didn't take long for four of the Ole Miss freshmen to see the field for the first time as a collegiate athlete. Two of them, Madison Meador and Gabby Little, started both matches in opening weekend, while Alley Houghton and Maddi Falter saw time as subs. Little, who provided many looks for the Rebels early in the midfield, even jumped in offensively with one assist in the win over Northwestern State.
Rebels Aggressive in Early Matchups
Last season's offensive theme was early scoring. Seven times the Rebels scored within the first five minutes of a match, and the 2016 campaign began in similar fashion. 42 seconds into the 2016 season Friday against Louisiana, senior Addie Forbus found the net for the first score of the season. In Sunday's contest with Northwestern State, the Rebels came out firing with 31 shots, the most in a single game since Aug. 31, 2012 (Little Rock). Sixteen of those were on target forcing the Lady Demons' goalkeeper to make 13 saves.
Addie Four-bus
Senior forward Addie Forbus came out firing on all cylinders at the start of the 2016 campaign, scoring four goals within the first two matches. It only took her 42 seconds into the opener Friday against Louisiana to score, before she went on to score again versus the Ragin Cajuns', before finding the net two more times Sunday against Northwestern State. Her early scoring has moved her up to a tie for eighth all-time with 26 career goals, and she also is tied for the NCAA lead early on.
Up Next
Following weekend play, Ole Miss will prep for its first road match of the season, set for next Friday, Sept. 2, at Michigan. The Rebels will square off with the Wolverines at 7 p.m. from Ann Arbor, before returning home to host Troy Sunday, Sept. 4, at 7 p.m.
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.
