The University of Mississippi Athletics
Matt Mott Weekly Press Conference
8/29/2016 | Soccer
Ole Miss Soccer Head Coach Matthew Mott met with members of the media on Monday as part of his weekly press conference. Coach Mott discussed the Rebels' 3-1 start thus far, and also previewed weekend matchups at Michigan (Friday, 7 p.m.) and versus Troy at home (Sunday, 7 p.m.).
Opening Statement...
"I feel good about the team. We are still ironing out some of the systems and players, but we have a good core group coming back when we talk about Addie Forbus, Gretchen Harknett and CeCe Kier. They are three of the most dangerous attackers you are going to find in the league and in the country. Those three are off to a great start. Our midfield is strong. We are a little young there. Madison Meador has come in and is playing great at holding midfielder. Gabby Little, who is a freshman from Memphis, is getting a lot of time in there. Maddie Falter is getting more minutes. Those three are freshmen and are doing a good job for us in these early games. We are led by our senior group with Melissa Capocaccia in the back and Georgia Russell and Sara Coleman. Those guys are doing a really good job for us defensively. We are going to be led by them all year. We are going to score goals, but we need to be better defensively. Marnie Merritt is back in goal, and she is playing at a really high level also, which is encouraging for us. We had a good game last night. It was a little bitter sweet when we lost a player to an injury in Amanda Karlsson. She went down with a knee injury. She's probably done for the season, which is certainly disappointing. But, the team bounced back after a loss to Memphis and now we have to get ready for Michigan, who is a very good team out of the Big 10. They knocked off Notre Dame earlier this week. They played Marquette to a 2-1 loss yesterday. We're going up to a tough place where they have lost only four games since they opened up their stadium about four years ago. It will be a tough task. Their coach is excellent up there, and we are excited. We are excited to play someone we have never played before up in their home stadium. We have a home-and-home series against them, so they will be down here next year to play in Oxford. Certainly, we are excited to go up there and then play a dangerous Troy team on Sunday. That is the end of our non-conference before we start against Missouri the following Friday. We are starting conference pretty early, but it has been a good non-conference schedule so far."
On the strategy to schedule a game in Michigan...
"We have players that are from far away states, so we look to always get back to those places. If we can get back in that area for their families, it's always a neat thing to do. Bella Fiorenzo is a Michigan girl. Madi Killeen is a Michigan girl, too. Michigan is a great opponent. To go and play a Big 10 team in a non-conference game is always good for us. Marnie will have a ton of family there to support her. We have some Michigan guys on the team. We actually have a number of families going up, which can hopefully create a great environment for them, so we'll have some Rebels up there."
On the creativity Addie Forbus brings on the field...
"Addie is a big-time forward. She understands that when she gets the ball, it is her job to score or to create a chance to score. To do that, you have to be creative. You have to have the ability to take that on, or to take on a defender and beat the goalkeeper. It is probably the biggest thing that she has added to her game is the ability to beat the goalkeeper. She has always been able to hit the ball hard. Now she is finding ways to bend balls. If you look at her second goal, our third goal, that she scored last night, it was absolute class. She drew the defender and the goalkeeper, then hit it with the outside of her foot and scored it in the right side from about 16 yards, which is no easy task. Great goal. She is really creative and it is something she has really added these last two years. She is off to an awesome start."
On the fast start Addie Forbus is on this year...
"She has seven goals this year. She had two in the three games and one last Friday. She has gotten to a great level. When we did fitness tests, she maxed out. She worked really hard over the summer. And when she touches the ball, she gets great service. CeCe Kizer is putting her in fantastic spots. Gretchen is giving her great service. She has been reaping the benefits of great service and balls in the right spots and putting them away. She came in on a mission this year and is playing great and looks great."
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.
