The University of Mississippi Athletics
Rebs to Kickoff 2018 with Pair of Home Matches This Weekend
8/16/2018 | Soccer
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Aug. 19 | 6 p.m. | Oxford, Miss. Ole Miss Soccer Stadium SEC Network + Richard Cross (pxp) | Ian Banner (color) |
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Aug. 19 | 6 p.m. | Oxford, Miss. Ole Miss Soccer Stadium SEC Network + Richard Cross (pxp) | Ian Banner (color) |
KICKERS
• Ole Miss kicks off the regular season with a pair of home matches on the weekend, welcoming Louisiana to the Ole Miss Soccer Stadium on Friday for a 7 p.m. contest before taking on WKU in Oxford Sunday at 6 p.m.
• Prior to last season's meeting being cancelled, Ole Miss and Louisiana had met up in each of the previous five seasons in Oxford, with Ole Miss coming out on top each time. Over the course of the series, Ole Miss has outscored the Ragin' Cajuns by a margin of 16-2.
• Sunday's match against WKU will be the third all-time meeting between the Lady Toppers and the Rebels. WKU leads the series 1-0-1 following a 2-1 defeat in extra time in 2008 and a scoreless draw between the two sides in 2010.
• Ole Miss returns 16 letterwinners from a season ago, while adding in a talented crop of six newcomers. Of the 11 primary starters from 2017's NCAA Tournament team, nine are back in blue and red in 2018.
• The Rebels received 12 votes in the United Soccer Coaches Preseason Coaches' Poll.
• Ole Miss was picked to finish seventh in the conference in the SEC Preseason Coaches' Poll, moving up two spots from last season's nine-place league finish.
• Senior attacker CeCe Kizer has received a myriad of preseason accolades heading into her final season in Oxford, including being named to the MAC Hermann Trophy Watch List and earning a spot on the Top Drawer Soccer Best XI First Team.
• Kizer is one of four Rebels named to the SEC Preseason Watch List, being joined by sophomore Channing Foster, senior Marnie Merritt and senior Mary Kate Smith.
SCOUTING LOUISIANA
Entering the 13th season under head coach Scot Wieland, the Louisiana Ragin' Cajuns are picked to finish 10th in the 11-team Sun Belt Conference, as voted on by the league's head coaches. Gone from Lafayette are the top-two leading scorers from 2017 in Ashleigh Cade and Haley Boroch, with sophomore forward Una Einarsdottir and graduate student defender Rebecca Foley the only two returning players with multiple goals a season ago. The primary goalkeeper from 2017, Mackenzie Lee, is back for her junior season after posting a 1.20 goals against average with a .778 save percentage. There will be plenty of new faces for Louisiana, welcoming 14 newcomers to Lafayette, the most since Wieland took over in 2005.
SERIES HISTORY - LOUISIANA
The Rebels and Ragin' Cajuns have met up five previous times in their history, facing off every year since 2012 prior to last season's matchup being cancelled due to Hurricane Harvey. With all five matches taking place in Oxford, Ole Miss is undefeated in the series, outscoring the Ragin' Cajuns 16-2.
LAST MEETING - LOUISIANA
In what was also the season-opener for the 2016 edition of Rebel soccer, Ole Miss thoroughly controlled its match with the Ragin' Cajuns, earning a 3-0 victory at the Ole Miss Soccer Stadium.
The match got off to about as good of a start as possible for the Rebels, with pressure forcing an immediate turnover by Louisiana and Addie Forbus finishing a chance within the game's first minute. Forbus would go on to score a brace and Bella Fiorenzo capped things off with a 36th-minute goal to round out scoring.
The Rebel defense held strong throughout the 90 minutes, allowing just four shots from the Ragin' Cajuns in a clean sheet effort.
SCOUTING WKU
The Lady Toppers of WKU head into their 18th season with Jason Neidell at the helm, the only coach the program has ever known. After going 7-9-1 a year ago, WKU has been predicted to place ninth in the Conference-USA standings, the same spot the Lady Toppers finished the 2017 campaign in. The leading scorer from a season ago returns for WKU in junior forward Chandler Backes, who bagged six goals and added three assists for a team-high 15 points. In fact, the scorers of 14-of-16 goals for WKU return to Bowling Green this season. However, the Lady Toppers will have big shoes to fill in goal with Allison Leone departed. Leone played all but nine minutes between the posts for WKU in 2017, ranking fourth in C-USA with a 0.92 GAA.
SERIES HISTORY - WKU
The Rebels and Lady Toppers have only played a pair of matches in their series history, with WKU holding an advantage at 1-0-1. Both meetings were nail-biters as WKU edged Ole Miss with a golden goal in the second period of extra time in 2008's matchup in Bowling Green, while both sides settled for a 0-0 draw in the rematch two years later in Oxford.
LAST MEETING - WKU
Ole Miss held a 14-10 advantage in shots over WKU but neither side was able to find a finish in the match, settling for a 0-0 draw at the Ole Miss Soccer Stadium in 2010.
Possibly the best chance to score for either team came for the Rebels just a couple of minutes after the halftime break. Taylor Cunningham found some space and unleashed a rocket towards the far post, but Lady Topper goalkeeper Libby Stout was up for the challenge, making the save to deny the Rebels the lead.
REBELS RECEIVING VOTES IN USC PRESEASON RANKINGS
Ole Miss received 12 votes in the 2018 United Soccer Coaches Preseason Rankings. The Rebels are one of seven SEC teams named in the rankings, being joined by South Carolina, Texas A&M, Tennessee, Auburn, LSU and Vanderbilt.
KIZER TABBED TO MAC HERMANN TROPHY WATCH LIST
After ranking third in the NCAA in goals and points per game in 2017, senior attacker CeCe Kizer established herself as one of college soccer's most dangerous offensive players. The Overland Park, Kansas native received recognition for her accomplishments when she was selected to the MAC Hermann Trophy Watch List, awarded annually to the most outstanding player in the nation. Ole Miss has never had a player win the prestigious Hermann Trophy, though Rebel great Rafaelle Souza was named a semifinalist in 2013.
KIZER SELECTED TO TDS BEST XI FIRST TEAM
As further recognition as one of the top players in the country, CeCe Kizer was named to the TopDrawerSoccer Preaseason Best XI First Team, consisting of a squad made up of the top talent across Division I women's soccer. Kizer is one of three forwards on the team, being joined by Florida State's Deyna Castellanos and Stanford's Catarina Macario. Following her junior season in 2017, Kizer was named to the TDS Best XI Second Team.
SENIOR ATTACKER MOVES INTO TOP-10 IN PLAYER RANKINGS
Having received a myriad of preseason honors prior to the start of the 2018 season, it's no surprise that CeCe Kizer begins the 2018 season inside the top-10 of TopDrawerSoccer's player rankings. After being ranked No. 17 in the final rankings in 2017, the senior has moved up to No. 9 to start the season. The native Kansan is the second-highest ranked player in the SEC, just a few spots behind Tennessee's Katie Cousins at No. 7.
FOUR REBELS MAKE SEC PRESEASON WATCH LIST
Four Rebels were selected to the SEC Preseason Watch List, recognizing the "players to watch" in the league for the 2018 campaign. CeCe Kizer and Marnie Merritt make the list for the third-consecutive year, while Channing Foster and Mary Kate Smith make their debut on the watch list.
REBELS PICKED SEVENTH IN PRESEASON COACHES' POLL
After finishing the 2017 season in ninth-place in the SEC standings, Ole Miss has been picked to rise a couple of positions in 2018, being selected seventh in the SEC Preseason Coaches' Poll. Florida was tabbed as the favorite to win the title, followed by Texas A&M, Tennessee and South Carolina.
OLE MISS ON NATIONAL TV
The Southeastern Conference released the 2018 television schedule for the 2018 soccer season on Wednesday, with Ole Miss scheduled to be featured twice on the SEC Network. Both nationally broadcasted contests will come during conference action, with the first matchup televised to the masses set for the October 11 trip to Baton Rouge to battle the Tigers of LSU. Just 10 days later, the SEC Network Crew will make the trip to Oxford for the battle for the Magnolia Cup against bitter rival Mississippi State, slated for October 21 at the Ole Miss Soccer Stadium. Ole Miss has retained the cup since 2013, drawing level with the Bulldogs in last season's matchup after three-consecutive Rebel victories.
All non-nationally televised home matches for Ole Miss will be available online through WatchESPN and the ESPN app as part of the SEC Network + digital streaming platform. Richard Cross (play-by-play) and Ian Banner (analyst) will be back in the broadcast booth to handle the calls.
HOME, SWEET HOME
Beginning with a pair of matches this weekend against Louisiana and WKU, Ole Miss will play nine times in all in front of its home crowd at the Ole Miss Soccer Stadium. Oxford provided a big home field advantage for Ole Miss in 2017, with the Rebels registering a 7-2-2 record at home. All-time, Ole Miss is 133-56-23 at the Ole Miss Soccer Stadium.
LITTLE, SMITH NAMED TEAM CAPTAINS FOR 2018
With 11 uperclassmen in the squad, Ole Miss is not short on leadership for the 2018 season. However, junior Gabby Little and senior Mary Kate Smith have been particularly singled out by their teammates for their ability to lead, being named the Rebels' two captains for the season. Little, a winger from Collierville, Tennessee, led the Rebs in assists a year ago, ranking third in the conference with eight helpers to go along with a pair of goals, ranking third on the team with 12 points. Smith is in her second season in Oxford after transfering from Jones County Junior College, scoring twice and dishing out seven assists in 2017. Smith will be transitioning to a new position this season, making the move from the right wing opposite side of Little to the back line as a fullback.
REBEL SOCCER A FAMILY AFFAIR
For the second straight season, Ole Miss' centerback pairing will likely feature the combination of sistersGrace Johnson and Ella Frischknecht. The former Ella Johnson, Frischknecht married her husband Blake, a junior on Utah Valley's men's soccer team, this summer at a ceremony in the Dominican Republic. Last season, the duo started together in 19-of-20 matches, helping the Rebels to eight shutouts.
The duo aren't the only family pairing for the Rebels in 2018, with Oxford natives Alley and Maddie Houghton both staying home for their collegiate careers. Alley, a 5-3 forward, is in her third season at Ole Miss, having scored four goals and dispensing five assists in her career. Maddy, a 5-8 midfielder/defender, is a member of Ole Miss' freshman class after graduating from Lafayette High School. The two sets of sisters make up half of the four sister pairings for Ole Miss during the Matt Mott era.
EXPERIENCE PLENTIFUL FOR 2018 REBS
When fans look out across the pitch during this weekend's matches, they will see most of the faces they became familiar with a season ago. With only four seniors departed from last year's squad, the production returning for Ole Miss is staggering. Even with last season's leader in minutes, Liza Harbin, having completed her eligibility, the Rebels return just over 80% of their minutes played from last season. Meanwhile, those responsible for 50 of Ole Miss' 54 goals (93%) and 139 of 150 points (93%) are back for the Rebs in 2018.
TWO TOP-50 RPI OPPONENTS ON NON-CON DOCKET
Ole Miss will have some tough competition early in the season during non-conference play. The Rebels will face off against a pair of teams that finished the 2017 season inside the NCAA RPI Top-50. After going 15-2-2 to claim the Ohio Valley Conference, Murray State concluded the season at No. 27. The Racers will pay a visit to Oxford on August 26 for a 6 p.m. match. Meanwhile, Ole Miss will head to Minneapolis next weekend for its first road tilt of the season against Minnesota. The Golden Gophers will likely enter the season with a chip on their shoulder, having been left on the wrong side of the bubble for the 2017 NCAA Tournament. Minnesota was slotted just a couple of spots behind Ole Miss in the final RPI report, garnering the No. 47 position. Just on the outside of the top-50 is another non-conference opponenet for Ole Miss in Memphis, who was ranked No. 51. The Rebels and Tigers will play their annual Derby September 16 at the Ole Miss Soccer Stadium.
REBEL TEAMMATES FACEOFF IN WPSL SEMIFINALS
While typically pairing up as part of Ole Miss' corps of attacking players, Channing Foster and Tara Sullivan faced off as opponents this summer while playing in the Women's Premier Soccer League (WPSL). Foster helped her Chicago Red Stars Reserves squad to the North Conference Championship with a 9-0-1 record, while Sullivan and Fire & Ice SC (based in Belleville, Ill.), took the Heartland Conference crown with a 5-0-3 record. The two teams advanced to the Central Region Championship game, with Foster scoring the winning-goal in a 1-0 victory for the Red Stars Reserves. Both teams advanced to the WPSL Championship, each being knocked out in the semifinal round.
ONE MORE
Each season, the senior class is tasked with creating a new team motto for the fall. This year's class of Ella Frischknecht, CeCe Kizer, Marisa Kutchma, Marnie Merritt, Mary Kate Smith and Tara Sullivan chose One More. The One More mantra is borrowed from The Program, a leadership and team building program the Rebels participated in this past summer. The idea behind the phrase is to give "one more" in everything you do. One more rep, one more set, one more study session, etc.
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 atInstagram.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.
Players Mentioned
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