The University of Mississippi Athletics
Rebels Hit the Road for LSU, Tulsa
9/15/2016 | Soccer
Game 9 - LSU
Date: Sept. 16, 2016
First Kick: 7 p.m.
Location: Baton Rouge, La.
Venue: LSU Soccer Stadium (2,197)
TV: SEC Network +
Lyn Rollins (play-by-play)
Josh McReynolds (analyst)
Live Stats: LSUSports.net
Series: Tied, 9-9-4
Twitter Updates: @OleMissSoccer
Game 10 - Tulsa
Date: Sept. 18, 2016
First Kick: 7 p.m.
Location: Tulsa, Okla.
Venue: Hurricane Soccer and Track Stadium (2,000)
TV: Stream Only
Live Stats: TulsaHurricane.com
Series: Never met
Twitter Updates: @OleMissSoccer
KICKERS
- The Rebels, who have played just one road match thus far (at Michigan), hit the road this weekend for play at LSU (Friday) and at Tulsa (Sunday). Sunday's match marks the final non-conference tilt for Ole Miss.
- After dropping the SEC opener to Missouri this past Friday, the Rebels responded versus South Alabama -- who previously beat No. 1 Florida State a week ago -- with a strong effort despite falling 1-0.
- The Rebels and Tigers are tied in the all-time series 9-9-4, while Ole Miss will face Tulsa Sunday for the first time in school history.
- The Ole Miss offense ranks second in the SEC in shots (145), & 30th nationally in shots per game (18.12).
- The Rebels are also 18th in the country and third in the league in shots on goal per game (9.00).
- Led by goalkeeper Marnie Merritt, the Ole Miss defense has pitched three shutouts this season, slotting Merritt second in the SEC and 30th nationally in clean sheets.
- Ole Miss ranks tied for first in the NCAA in home games played with seven, and have just four home games left, three of which will air to a national audience on SEC Network.
- Senior Gretchen Harknett is currently tied for first in the SEC with 36 shots averaging 4.50 per game (20th in NCAA), while senior Addie Forbus is seventh in the SEC (29) and sophomore CeCe Kizer is ninth (25).
- Despite not scoring in the last four contests, Forbus still ranks third in the league in points (15), second in goals (7) and fourth in goals per game (0.88). She's also sixth nationally in goals and 14th in points.
- The second half has been key for the Rebel offense and defense, as the Rebels are outshooting opponents 78-22 in the second period, forcing 34 saves in the second half. Ole Miss has also taken 28 corner kicks in the second half, more than its opposition's total for the entire season.
SCOUTING LSU
Led by 12th-year head coach Brian Lee, the Tigers sit at 0-1 in SEC play entering Friday's contest. LSU was picked fifth according to the SEC Preseason Poll, and features defending All-SEC performers Jorian Baucom and Summer Clarke. The Tigers fell to No. 11 Texas A&M, 3-0, last Sunday night, and will open their home SEC slate in Friday's match. After dropping the season opener to No. 17 Virginia Tech (1-0), the Tigers defeated College of Charleston (1-0), and also picked up three-straight wins on the road over Indiana (3-0), Butler (2-1) and WKU (1-0). Baucom, a Second Team All-SEC performer with eight goals a year ago, leads the offense with four scores off 23 shots. Delaney Sheehan has scored twice, while Clarke, Jordane Carvery and Caitlin Cantrill all have one goal each. Caroline Brockmeier has played all the minutes in goal allowing 10 goals with 41 saves on the year.
SCOUTING TULSA
Tulsa heads into the weekend 3-4-1 on the year with three tough matches against No. 25 Loyola Marymount, No. 24 South Carolina and No. 11 Texas A&M. The Golden Hurricane tied LMU, 1-1, to open the year, and have since fallen to the Gamecocks (4-1) and the Aggies (2-0). Tulsa's wins came over Central Arkansas (2-1), Missouri State (3-1) and Houston Baptist (4-1). The Golden Hurricane are led by ninth-year head coach Kyle Cussen, and were picked sixth in the AAC Preseason Poll. Rachel Thun was picked to the Preseason All-AAC Team, and leads the way with five goals and four assists already totaling 14 points. Tulsa is averaging 1.88 goals per game and allowing 2.00 per game. Tana Dake, McKenzi McAdams, Anna Williams and Christina Holmes all have two goals each as well. Rebecca Defer and Courtney McKeon have split time in goal with Defer holding a 3-2-1 record and 31 saves in 517 minutes played, while McKeon is 0-2 and eight goals allowed in just 225 minutes.
SERIES HISTORY - LSU
Ole Miss and LSU have 22 meetings entering Friday's contest tied up at 9-9-2 overall, including a close 4-4-2 series in games played in Baton Rouge. The two sides haven't faced off in Louisiana since the 2013 campaign, when Ole Miss won a 1-0 decision. The 2011 brought a 3-2 loss for the Rebels, while the two squads tied, 0-0 in two overtime periods in 2009, and also played to a 1-1 draw in 2007. In the Rebels' four wins all-time in Baton Rouge, the visiting side has outscored the Tigers, 8-1.
SERIES HISTORY - TULSA
Ole Miss and Tulsa will be meeting for the first time on Sunday.
REBELS' DEFENSE DOMINANT, ESPECIALLY IN SECOND HALF
Ole Miss goalkeeper Marnie Merritt and the Rebel defense have pitched three shutouts thus far, all of which came at home. The Rebel backline, led by seniors Sara Coleman and Melissa Capocaccia, and junior Liza Harbin, have been the anchor that's held opposing teams to just 62 shots all season. That averages out to just 7.75 shots per game, while Merritt has only had to make 19 saves all season. The majority of the scoring by opponents has come in the first half (8 goals), as the Rebels have held opponents to just three scores in the second half all year. Ole Miss' aggressiveness in the second half with 78 shots, more than its opposition's total for the season, has forced 34 saves in the final 45 minutes. The Rebels also have more corner kicks (28) in the second half than its opponents have totaled all season (26).
HOME FIELD ADVANTAGE
A year after setting the single-season attendance record (11,087), the Rebels have once again seen great crowds in their seven home matches this season. Ole Miss currently ranks 11th in the NCAA in total attendance (6,126) and 35th in average attendance (875 fans per game). Seven of the top-10 largest crowds in school history have all come under head coach Matt Mott, including the eighth-largest crowd ever of 1,335 in the 2016 season opener against Louisiana-Lafayette (8/19).
UP NEXT
Following two-straight road contests, the Rebels return home to the Ole Miss Soccer Stadium for two nationally-televised matches versus Mississippi State (Sept. 22) and Arkansas (Sept. 25), both of which will air on SEC Network.
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.
