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The University of Mississippi Athletics
Matt Mott Weekly Press Conference
11/5/2018 | Soccer
Ole Miss Head Soccer Coach Recaps Arkansas, Previews the NCAA Selection Show
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 loss to Arkansas in the SEC tournament before previewing Monday's NCAA Selection Show.
Opening statement…
"We finished the regular season on a high with a win at Mississippi State and a win over Vanderbilt, the league champions. We played very well, certainly against Vanderbilt. It was senior night so happy to send them off well. We ended up finishing tied for third in the SEC which was a good accomplishment with this group. Then, we went to "The Beach" and played Arkansas in the first round. We got off to a poor start and couldn't recover. Now, this is the longest day of the year for soccer coaches as you wait until 3:30 for the selection show. I feel really good about our resume. We are 39 in the RPI; we have 4 wins in the top-26 and a tie with No. 10 Texas A&M. Traditionally, that should be good enough, but certainly you wait and are very happy when your name pops up. The team is practicing right now, and I am running back to that as soon as we are done. They are excited and think they have done enough. Again, until your name pops up you are certainly very nervous. I am happy with the team and where we are. We actually played very well for 82 minutes down at "The Beach". It was a tough tournament for us. We got back and got to get some practice in. We are hopefully getting ready for a match this weekend in the first round of the NCAA Tournament. The team is healthy outside of losing Marnie early in the season. We are in a good spot and are excited to hopefully get a bid into the NCAA Tournament for the second year in a row and three out of the last four years. It would be a great accomplishment for the senior class. The senior class went all four years never losing to Mississippi State, never losing to Auburn and then hopefully making three out of four NCAA Tournaments. It is something we are very proud of with this group, and we hope the season is not over.
On How the Strong Finish to the Season Sets the Team up for the NCAA tournament...
"I think it does. I think late in the season we won three out of the last four which was massive. I think the way we were playing the last ten games being 5-4-1 makes me feel really good about the spot we are in. I serve on a regional committee and I feel good about what we have done. It is when you start putting in all of the other teams and regions and that is when you just do not know. Based on precedent and history, I think we look really good."
On Monday's Practice...
"It was a fun practice. They are in really good spirits. But we wanted to get some work in not knowing if we play Friday, Saturday or Sunday. We don't know, so we can't set up the rest of the week till we get the draw. Practice today is lighthearted, but we also were trying to get some work in."
On the Start to the Arkansas Match…
"We got run over a little bit by Arkansas. They came flying out. One of the goals was an own goal, a mistake by us. The other two were deflections. So, it started out 3-0 seven minutes into the game. They just ran over us, forcing us back on our heels. We could not respond. When you look at the first half, CeCe gets in and misses a goal that would have made it 3-1. You expect her to score that but she just misses wide. Then a few minutes later Channing gets in, and you expect her to score but misses wide. Then we got one late giving us three great chances to score in the half, and we just didn't score them. It was disappointing, but I thought we came out in the second half with good energy. When they got the fourth one that is when I have to be smart and not let someone get hurt in a game like that."
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…
"We finished the regular season on a high with a win at Mississippi State and a win over Vanderbilt, the league champions. We played very well, certainly against Vanderbilt. It was senior night so happy to send them off well. We ended up finishing tied for third in the SEC which was a good accomplishment with this group. Then, we went to "The Beach" and played Arkansas in the first round. We got off to a poor start and couldn't recover. Now, this is the longest day of the year for soccer coaches as you wait until 3:30 for the selection show. I feel really good about our resume. We are 39 in the RPI; we have 4 wins in the top-26 and a tie with No. 10 Texas A&M. Traditionally, that should be good enough, but certainly you wait and are very happy when your name pops up. The team is practicing right now, and I am running back to that as soon as we are done. They are excited and think they have done enough. Again, until your name pops up you are certainly very nervous. I am happy with the team and where we are. We actually played very well for 82 minutes down at "The Beach". It was a tough tournament for us. We got back and got to get some practice in. We are hopefully getting ready for a match this weekend in the first round of the NCAA Tournament. The team is healthy outside of losing Marnie early in the season. We are in a good spot and are excited to hopefully get a bid into the NCAA Tournament for the second year in a row and three out of the last four years. It would be a great accomplishment for the senior class. The senior class went all four years never losing to Mississippi State, never losing to Auburn and then hopefully making three out of four NCAA Tournaments. It is something we are very proud of with this group, and we hope the season is not over.
On How the Strong Finish to the Season Sets the Team up for the NCAA tournament...
"I think it does. I think late in the season we won three out of the last four which was massive. I think the way we were playing the last ten games being 5-4-1 makes me feel really good about the spot we are in. I serve on a regional committee and I feel good about what we have done. It is when you start putting in all of the other teams and regions and that is when you just do not know. Based on precedent and history, I think we look really good."
On Monday's Practice...
"It was a fun practice. They are in really good spirits. But we wanted to get some work in not knowing if we play Friday, Saturday or Sunday. We don't know, so we can't set up the rest of the week till we get the draw. Practice today is lighthearted, but we also were trying to get some work in."
On the Start to the Arkansas Match…
"We got run over a little bit by Arkansas. They came flying out. One of the goals was an own goal, a mistake by us. The other two were deflections. So, it started out 3-0 seven minutes into the game. They just ran over us, forcing us back on our heels. We could not respond. When you look at the first half, CeCe gets in and misses a goal that would have made it 3-1. You expect her to score that but she just misses wide. Then a few minutes later Channing gets in, and you expect her to score but misses wide. Then we got one late giving us three great chances to score in the half, and we just didn't score them. It was disappointing, but I thought we came out in the second half with good energy. When they got the fourth one that is when I have to be smart and not let someone get hurt in a game like that."
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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