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The University of Mississippi Athletics
Matt Mott Weekly Press Conference
10/22/2018 | Soccer
Ole Miss Head Soccer Coach Recaps Kentucky and Mississippi State, Previews Vanderbilt
Ole Miss Soccer Head Coach Matt Mott met with members of the media on Monday as part of his weekly press conference. Coach Mott recapped last week's shutout wins over Kentucky and Mississippi State before previewing Thursday's regular season finale versus Vanderbilt.
Opening statement…
"I would like to give a shootout to Coach McRoberts on the big win over State. Yesterday was quite a fun time in the Gillom Center area. First, let me go back to the game against Kentucky. We were kind of in a must-win game playing up there. I thought our team came out and played really well. We got a goal right in the first few minutes by Channing Foster. That really set the tone for the rest of the game. I thought we were good the rest of that half. We had a couple of good looks and then in the second half Channing gave us another goal. So, two goals and to win 2-0 really set us up for the State game yesterday. I am really happy with the way we played and happy how our defense played. Our players have been really good over the last stretch of games. Then, it set up a big game against State in the Magnolia Cup. A lot of things on the line, if we win we clinch a spot at "The Beach" and it will help our RPI and our fight to get into the NCAA Tournament. I thought our team came out and played great. I have to give credit to our goalkeeper and our back line. Morgan McAslan was excellent in goal but Ella Frischknecht, Grace Johnson, Maddy Houghton, Chanel Thomas, Sophie Dineen and Madison Smith, those defenders back there were really, really good all weekend long. State is known for being very dangerous to defend. They put a ton of pressure on you and a bunch of balls in the box and I thought our defense handled it brilliantly. I know CeCe and Channing get a lot of credit for our wins and they were great as well but I was really proud of the way our back line defended. When you defend like that at the end of the year it is going to put you in a good spot. So, we are headed to "The Beach", officially, and will finish anywhere from fourth to seventh. Four, five and six receives a bye and that is something we want desperately, but we are excited to welcome Vanderbilt who won the league yesterday. They are the outright champions and are certainly a very, very good and dangerous team. We will be looking forward to playing on Thursday night at 6 p.m. It will be Senior Night as we honor a great senior class. Our senior class of Marisa Kutchma, Tara Sullivan, Mary Kate Smith, Ella Frischknecht, CeCe Kizer and Marnie Merritt have really carried us this year and have been a great group their entire time here. We are going to miss them, so we need to send them off the right way."
On Morgan McAslan's Confidence Level...
"She has done a really good job of dealing with everything. Yesterday, as an example, State provides an aerial attack, that's the best way to put it. They put a ton of balls in the air. She came out confidently and handled the air pressure really well. I think we have stepped up defensively and limited chances at our goal. I think our total team defending has improved, which has made it easier for Morgan. She is confident and is playing really well. She played well against Arkansas and LSU and then came out this weekend and had two shutouts. You can't ask much more from a freshman goalkeeper. So I am happy with her."
On Ole Miss' NCAA Tournament Resume...
"Yeah, I think where our RPI is, we are square on the bubble. We are probably on the good side of the bubble because we have three top-25 wins and a top-25 draw, which is as good as anybody on the bubble. We have a bad loss early in the season to Connecticut which is keeping our RPI a little higher than it should be in my opinion. But, if we can get something against Vanderbilt and get a game down at "The Beach" we will be in a really good spot. That is a tall task for sure. Both of those games will be difficult."
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.
Opening statement…
"I would like to give a shootout to Coach McRoberts on the big win over State. Yesterday was quite a fun time in the Gillom Center area. First, let me go back to the game against Kentucky. We were kind of in a must-win game playing up there. I thought our team came out and played really well. We got a goal right in the first few minutes by Channing Foster. That really set the tone for the rest of the game. I thought we were good the rest of that half. We had a couple of good looks and then in the second half Channing gave us another goal. So, two goals and to win 2-0 really set us up for the State game yesterday. I am really happy with the way we played and happy how our defense played. Our players have been really good over the last stretch of games. Then, it set up a big game against State in the Magnolia Cup. A lot of things on the line, if we win we clinch a spot at "The Beach" and it will help our RPI and our fight to get into the NCAA Tournament. I thought our team came out and played great. I have to give credit to our goalkeeper and our back line. Morgan McAslan was excellent in goal but Ella Frischknecht, Grace Johnson, Maddy Houghton, Chanel Thomas, Sophie Dineen and Madison Smith, those defenders back there were really, really good all weekend long. State is known for being very dangerous to defend. They put a ton of pressure on you and a bunch of balls in the box and I thought our defense handled it brilliantly. I know CeCe and Channing get a lot of credit for our wins and they were great as well but I was really proud of the way our back line defended. When you defend like that at the end of the year it is going to put you in a good spot. So, we are headed to "The Beach", officially, and will finish anywhere from fourth to seventh. Four, five and six receives a bye and that is something we want desperately, but we are excited to welcome Vanderbilt who won the league yesterday. They are the outright champions and are certainly a very, very good and dangerous team. We will be looking forward to playing on Thursday night at 6 p.m. It will be Senior Night as we honor a great senior class. Our senior class of Marisa Kutchma, Tara Sullivan, Mary Kate Smith, Ella Frischknecht, CeCe Kizer and Marnie Merritt have really carried us this year and have been a great group their entire time here. We are going to miss them, so we need to send them off the right way."
On Morgan McAslan's Confidence Level...
"She has done a really good job of dealing with everything. Yesterday, as an example, State provides an aerial attack, that's the best way to put it. They put a ton of balls in the air. She came out confidently and handled the air pressure really well. I think we have stepped up defensively and limited chances at our goal. I think our total team defending has improved, which has made it easier for Morgan. She is confident and is playing really well. She played well against Arkansas and LSU and then came out this weekend and had two shutouts. You can't ask much more from a freshman goalkeeper. So I am happy with her."
On Ole Miss' NCAA Tournament Resume...
"Yeah, I think where our RPI is, we are square on the bubble. We are probably on the good side of the bubble because we have three top-25 wins and a top-25 draw, which is as good as anybody on the bubble. We have a bad loss early in the season to Connecticut which is keeping our RPI a little higher than it should be in my opinion. But, if we can get something against Vanderbilt and get a game down at "The Beach" we will be in a really good spot. That is a tall task for sure. Both of those games will be difficult."
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.
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