The University of Mississippi Athletics
Ole Miss Soccer Set to Open 2017 Campaign
8/17/2017 | Soccer
Game 1 - Alabama State
Date: Aug. 18, 2017
First Kick: 7 p.m.
Location: Oxford, Miss.
Venue: Ole Miss Soccer Stadium (1,500)
TV: SEC Network +
Will Kollmeyer (play-by-play)
Ian Banner (analyst)
Live Stats:
Series: Never met
Twitter Updates: @OleMissSoccer
Game 2 - Northwestern State
Date: Aug. 20, 2017
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 4-0
Last Match: Aug. 21, 2016
Ole Miss won 3-0
Twitter Updates: @OleMissSoccer
PROMOTIONS
Friday, Aug. 18
- First 300 fans receive an Ole Miss Soccer t-shirt
- 25 Rebel Rewards points
- Kids Club kickoff
KICKERS
รขโฌยข Ole Miss opens its 23rd season of action this weekend and eighth under head coach Matt Mott.
รขโฌยข The Rebels will play four of their first five at home in a slate that features 10 contests in Oxford.
รขโฌยข Ole Miss will be facing Alabama State for the first time in school history, while Sunday's matchup with Northwestern State will be the fifth all-time. The Rebels also played the Lady Demons in game two last season, winning 3-0.
รขโฌยข The Rebels are 14-5-3 all-time in season openers, including a 5-0-2 mark in the last eight openers under Mott.
รขโฌยข Fourteen players return from last year, while 12 newcomers will suit up in red and blue for the first time.
รขโฌยข Ole Miss returns 54 percent (13-of-24) of its goal production last season, highlighted by CeCe Kizer's five.
รขโฌยข Kizer, the 2015 SEC Freshman of the Year, along with senior Liza Harbin, and redshirt junior Marnie Merritt, were all named to the SEC Preseason Watch List.
รขโฌยข Mott returns his full staff including associate head coach Rob Thompson (eighth year), assistant coach Melissa Terry (third year), and volunteer assistant Richard Beebe, who re-joined the Rebels after serving on staff during the 2016 Sweet 16 run.
รขโฌยข Ole Miss nearly broke its single-season attendance record again in 2016, finishing 30th in the country with 10,049 total fans across the 11 home games.
รขโฌยข This year's squad will feature three transfers -- two from Division I programs -- in Julia Phillips (Florida State), Ella Johnson (BYU) and Mary Kate Smith (Jones County JC). Smith is the first JUCO player under Mott at Ole Miss.
รขโฌยข Three of the final five wins of 2016 resulted in comeback victories, including the two conference wins at Kentucky, at Alabama, and at home against Texas A&M.
รขโฌยข Ole Miss won its exhibition, 1-0, against South Alabama last Friday night in Mobile off a goal in the 85th minute.
SCOUTING ALABAMA STATE
The defending champions of the Southwestern Athletic Conference (SWAC), Alabama State enters its 2017 campaign fresh off an NCAA Tournament appearance. The Hornets, led by 11-year head coach Jodie Smith, took on No. 1 South Carolina in last season's NCAA Tournament after running through the SWAC Tournament to earn the automatic bid. The Hornets turned in an 11-10-1 overall record and 7-2-1 mark in SWAC action. ASU returns the reigning SWAC Co-Player of the Year in Ariela Lewis, who led the team with 17 goals and 42 total points in 2016.
SERIES HISTORY - ALABAMA STATE
Never met.
SCOUTING NORTHWESTERN STATE
Sunday's opponent, Northwestern State, is coming off a 10-8-1 overall record in 2016, including a 7-3-1 mark in the Southland Conference. Led by sixth-year head coach George Van Linder, the Lady Demons were picked fifth in the SLC, highlighted by four players on the SLC Preseason Team. One of those players, Alex Latham, is the reigning SLC Goalkeeper of the Year, who in 2016, made 120 saves and led the conference in shutouts. Offensively, the top two goal scorers in April Trowbridge and Esdeina Gonzalez (6 goals, 4 goals, respectively) are also back as members of the SLC Preseason Team.
SERIES HISTORY - NORTHWESTERN STATE
Ole Miss is 4-0 all-time against Northwestern State, with the last meeting coming last season, also in game two. In those four meetings, the Rebels have outscored the Lady Demons 28-2, thanks in large part to the 1996 match that still lives in the record books as the most goals ever scored in a Rebel soccer match (13). That next season, Ole Miss won a 7-0 contest. The last two meetings in 2013 and 2016 have also resulted in shutouts by scores of 5-0 and 3-0.
KIZER, MERRITT, HARBIN NAMED TO SEC PRESEASON WATCH LIST
The SEC Preseason Watch list, which replaced the former Preseason All-SEC Team, featured three Rebels in junior CeCe Kizer, redshirt junior Marnie Merritt, and senior Liza Harbin. Kizer, a repeat selection on the list, is poised for a big year in 2017 after scoring five goals and leading the team with six assists a season ago. Merritt, who enters year three on the pitch, has her name scattered throughout the career record books already. Harbin, a three-year starter, returns on the backline to help anchor the defense.
REBELS PICKED NINTH IN PRESEASON COACHES' POLL
Coming off a nine win season, Ole Miss was picked ninth in the SEC Preseason Coaches' Poll ahead of the 2017 season. Florida was tabbed as the favorite to win the title, while Texas A&M and South Carolina rounded out the top three.
FIORENZO UNANIMOUS CHOICE FOR TEAM CAPTAIN
From two knee surgeries to now heading into her senior campaign, midfielder Bella Fiorenzo has experienced quite the rollercoaster in her career. The Grand Rapids, Michigan, native went from playing in only a few games in 2014, to now being a unanimous choice for team captain by her peers. The senior tied for the third-leading scorer on the club last year with three goals, and is poised for a big fall where she'll lead Ole Miss both on the field and off.
FRESH FACES, SAME EXPECTATIONS
Ole Miss returns a wealth of experience in 14 players from the 2016 squad, and welcomes 12 new players to the program. Nine freshmen will suit up for the Rebels this fall as well as three transfers. Julia Phillips (Florida State), Mary Kate Smith (Jones County JC) and Ella Johnson (BYU) joined the program this past spring, as did freshman Channing Foster, an early enrollee after graduating high school early.
Overall, the Rebels return 54 percent (13-of-24) of their goal scoring from 2016, 44 percent of the assists, and 52 percent of the total points. This year's returners accounted for 10,000+ minutes played last fall, which provides the squad with a heavy dose of experience and depth to go along with the talented fresh faces.
BRICK BY BRICK
Each season, the senior class is tasked with creating a new team motto for the fall. This year's class of Liza Harbin, Courtney Carroll, Danielle Gray and Bella Fiorenzo chose Brick by Brick, or #B3, for the program. The idea stemmed from a couple of different reasons, one being the renovation of the Gillom Center, which houses the locker room, team room, training room, and weight facility. The Ole Miss Soccer Stadium also saw a new playing surface laid down, further reiterating the Brick by Brick mantra. It also was created with the mindset of a positive spring after a somewhat disappointing season last fall, with the hopes of the foundation and the future of the program only looking up.
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.
