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The University of Mississippi Athletics
Rebels, Wildcats Set for Saturday Showdown in Lexington
9/30/2016 | Soccer
Match 13 - at Kentucky
Date: Oct. 1, 2016
First Kick: 6:30 p.m.
Location: Lexington, Ky.
Venue: Wendell & Vickie Bell Soccer Complex
TV: SEC Network +
Neil Price (play-by-play)
J.D. Stephenson (analyst)
Live Stats: UKAthletics.com
Series: Kentucky leads, 11-10-1
Twitter Updates: @OleMissSoccer
KICKERS
- Ole Miss' match in Lexington Saturday night is the first of two-straight away from home, and only the second SEC road game for the Rebels this season.
- After playing a majority of its home schedule early on, Ole Miss faces the toughest remaining schedule of any team in the league. With only two home games left (Florida, Texas A&M), the Rebels will hit the road for five of their final seven with matchups at Kentucky, Alabama, Georgia, Vanderbilt and South Carolina.
- The Rebels are the only team in the SEC with just two home games left, as all 13 other schools will play at least three in their home stadium between now and Oct. 30.
- In the series with Kentucky, the Rebels are 10-11-1 all-time, with the last win coming in the 2013 season during the SEC Tournament. Ole Miss last won a match in Lexington on Oct. 23, 2011, a 2-1 victory in overtime.
- Kentucky heads into Saturday's matchup in search of its first league win at 0-3-1, while the Rebels are tied for 10th overall with three points in the SEC standings.
- The Rebels are coming off a 1-1 week after a shutout over Mississippi State (3-0), and loss to No. 15 Arkansas.
- Sophomore CeCe Kizer has scored three goals in the last two games putting her second on the team with four goals and 11 points. Her 18 career goals already put her just six away from the top-10 in career goals all-time in just her second year of play.
- With her assist in the Magnolia Cup, senior Addie Forbus moved up to a tie for sixth all-time in career assists with 20. She's also tied for sixth in career goals with 30.
- Sophomore goalkeeper Marnie Merritt recorded her fourth shutout of the year against Mississippi State, the 11th of her career, which also ranks sixth all-time in Ole Miss history.
SCOUTING KENTUCKY
Led by eighth-year head coach Jon Lipsitz, Kentucky is 4-5-2 on the year and winless in SEC play at 0-3-1. The Wildcats have dropped two straight and are in search of their first win since Sept. 14 against Southeast Missouri. Picked seventh in the SEC Preseason Coaches' Poll, Kentucky has dropped league contests to No. 5 Florida (2-1, 2OT), Missouri (2-0) and No. 8 South Carolina (3-0). The Wildcats tied with Alabama back on Sept. 18, 1-1, in doubel overtime, and have played five ranked teams overall. Kentucky began the year with matches against No. 25 Long Beach State (1-1 tie), No. 19 Pepperdine (3-0 loss) and No. 23 South Florida (3-2 loss), before picking up wins over Louisville (3-1), High Point (3-0), Murray State (5-0) and Southeast Missouri (3-2). Eight different players have scored for Kentucky, led by six from Tanya Samarzich, a member of the SEC Preseason Watch List. Alex Carter, Katy Keen and Kaitlin Miller also appeared on the list, as Miller has scored three times and Keen twice. Marissa Bosco leads the team in assists with five as 11 different Wildcats have dished out helpers thus far. Evangeline Soucie has played all but 11 minutes in goal on the season and has allowed 18 goals with 58 saves with one shutout for a 1.57 goals allowed average.
SERIES HISTORY - KENTUCKY
In 22 meetings with the Wildcats, Kentucky holds a slight advantage, 11-10-1. Ole Miss won six-straight in the series from 2008-13, but have dropped two-straight to the Wildcats. The last matchup came in last year's SEC opener, where the Rebels fell, 4-2, to then No. 18 Kentucky. The previous year, Ole Miss dropped a 3-0 decision in Lexington, one of only seven matches in the Bluegrass state in the all-time series. Six of the matches between the two sides have been in SEC Tournament play, while seven others have come during the regular season in Lexington. The Rebels hold a 4-3 advantage in games played at Kentucky with the most victory coming in the 2011 season, a 2-1 overtime win.
A LOOK BACK AT LAST WEEK
Ole Miss went 1-1 in SEC play last week picking up a win over rival Mississippi State, and dropping a close match to No. 15 Arkansas. In Thursday's Magnolia Cup with the Bulldogs, the Rebels dominated in every phase of the game to shutout their rival for the second-straight year. Sophomore CeCe Kizer's luck turned around in the match as she scored twice, while senior Liza Harbin also netted her first goal of the year early on. The Ole Miss back line was stout throughout the full 90 minutes, and didn't allow a Mississippi State shot until the 34th minute.
The Rebels followed Thursday night's victory with a tough matchup against No. 15 Arkansas on Sunday, and from the start looked to take control. Kizer again put Ole Miss on top early in the match thanks to her chip-in goal at the 4:49 mark off a Melissa Capocaccia assist. That score held until midway through the half when the Razorbacks scored the equalizer. Arkansas then came out of the halftime break and scored the game-winner nine minutes into the second period. Despite the outcome, Ole Miss again led in shots with 17 in the contest, edging out Arkansas by just one.
FRESHMAN CLASS MAKING BIG IMPACT
With 12 of 19 regular season matches in the books, the 2016 freshmen class has certainly been a key contributor to the team's success. Madison Meador has started in all 12 matches, while Gabby Little has started all but two. Grace Waugh has come on strong as of late with four-straight starts, while Maddi Falter also has three. Alley Houghton and Shannon Maitland have also seen the field for the Rebels as they develop their young careers.
GRUELING SCHEDULE REMAINING FOR REBELS
In the first eight games of the season, Ole Miss had to leave Oxford only once, and went 4-3 in the seven home contests within a 24-day period. Now, with 12 matches in the books, Ole Miss faces the toughest schedule remaining of any team in the league. Ole Miss will hit the road for five of its final seven with only two home contests left. No other team in the SEC will face that type schedule, as all 13 teams have at least three home matches left between now and Oct. 30. Road trips to Kentucky (Oct. 1), Alabama (Oct. 6), Georgia (Oct. 20), Vanderbilt (Oct. 23) and South Carolina (Oct. 27) await the Rebels with just a month left before the start of the SEC Tournament in Orange Beach, Ala.
UP NEXT
Following Saturday's match at Kentucky, Ole Miss will face Alabama next Thursday, Oct. 6, in Tuscaloosa, before hosting No. 18 Florida Sunday, Oct. 9.
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.
