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The University of Mississippi Athletics
Ole Miss
Troy
Rebel Soccer Looking to Return from Mobile with Pair of Wins
8/29/2018 | Soccer
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Aug. 30 | 4 p.m. | Mobile, Ala. The Cage Live Stats Only |
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Sept. 2 | 1:30 p.m. | Mobile, Ala. The Cage Jag Nation TV |
KICKERS
• Ole Miss heads to Mobile with a 3-1 record following a week in which the Rebels split their two matches against Minnesota and Murray State.
• The Rebels suffered a heartbreaking 2-1 defeat to the Golden Gophers in Minneapolis, surrendering the winning-goal to Minnesota in the 108th-minute.
• Ole Miss bounced back with a 3-0 victory over Murray State on Sunday in Oxford. Facing a side that earned an NCAA Tournament bid and finished 27th in the final 2017 RPI report. The Rebels were on the front foot all night long, peppering the Racer goal with 30 shots.
• The Rebels are tied for 2nd in the SEC in goals with 14, while sitting third in the league with 37 points on the season. Ole Miss paces the league with 85 shot attempts in 2018.
• Of Ole Miss' 14 goals on the season, seven different players have scored.
• Ole Miss is receiving votes for the third-consecutive week in the United Soccer Coaches' Poll, picking up 10 votes.
• CeCe Kizer is tied for the NCAA lead with five goals, while ranking second in the nation in points with 11.
• Marnie Merritt has posted three clean sheets in her four appearances in goal this season. The senior has made eight saves for a .800 save percentage while recording a minute 0.48 goals against average.
• Kizer is just five goals away from breaking Ole Miss' all-time record for a career, while Merritt needs just three more shutouts to establish herself as the Rebels' all-time leader for a career.
• This week's matches against Troy and South Alabama will be the second and third of the season against Sun Belt competition for Ole Miss. The Rebels are 23-3 all-time against Sun Belt teams.
SCOUTING TROY
The Trojans of Troy are off to a 1-3 start to their season, having been outscored 11-3 in their four contests. Troy opened the 2018 season with a 2-0 victory over Jacksonville but have since lost three in a row to Florida State, Kennesaw State and Chattanooga. Three different players have scored for the Trojans in senior Natalie Melillo, junior Maddie Brune and senior Claire Taylor. Additionally, two Trojans have registered an assist, with juniors Nathanli DaSilva and Katie Lorenz doing the honors. In goal, freshman Acelya Aydogmus has played every second, registering a .607 save percentage and a 2.75 goals against average.
SERIES HISTORY - TROY
When Ole Miss and Troy lace up the boots it will be the third meeting all-time between the two southern schools. The Rebels were victorious in the previous two meetings, though in very different fashion. Ole Miss completely dominated the Trojans in the first-ever meeting between the two sides in 2012, winning by a 5-0 margin. In 2016, however, the Rebels had to fight tooth and nail to pull out a 1-0 win.
LAST MEETING - TROY (9/4/16)
While Ole Miss controlled play throughout much of the night, it took the Rebels until the 87th-minute to break the 0-0 deadlock with Troy. It was Gretchen Harknett that broke through for the Rebels, taking a feed from Addie Forbus and delivering a well placed strike from the far corner of the box from 12 yard out.
The Rebels racked up 20 total shots in the contest, putting eight on frame. The Ole Miss defense was especially persistent in the second half as the Rebels fired 12 shots at Trojan keeper Mikki Lewis. Troy was the more physical of the two teams, recording 13 fouls to the Rebels' seven and picking up a pair of bookings.
SCOUTING SOUTH ALABAMA
South Alabama comes into the week with a 2-1 overall record, including 1-1 at home. The Jaguars registered back-to-back wins to open their season, including an impressive 6-1 showing against Chattanooga, but had their good times halted on Sunday against Ole Miss' Magnolia State rival Mississippi State, falling 3-0. Before facing Ole Miss, the Jaguars will battle LSU on Thursday. The Jags are led in scoring by senior Hannah Godfrey with a pair of scores, while five other players have scored once. Sophomore Aníta Ágústsdóttir has been a playmaker for the Jaguars, having recorded a pair of assists. Junior Justice Stanford is back in net after starting every match of her first two seasons in Mobile. Stanford has allowed four goals in her three appearances for a 1.33 goals against average, while posting a .600 save percentage with six stops.
SERIES HISTORY - SOUTH ALABAMA
Ole Miss leads by a slim margin in the all-time series against South Alabama at 3-2, falling in the only previous meeting in Mobile. The series has been a back-and-forth affair, with Ole Miss holding the longest streak at just two matches. When Ole Miss has won the score has tended to be lopsided, with a total margin of 16-1. On the flip side, both losses to the Jaguars have come in tight contests.
LAST MEETING - SOUTH ALABAMA (9/11/16)
A goal in the 10th-minute was all the scoring South Alabama would need as the Jaguars won for the first time ever in Oxford. Ashlynn Jones bagged the winning goal for USA off an assist from Alexis Jordan. Marnie Merritt made four saves in goal, including three in the first half. Despite the loss, Ole Miss out-shot the Jaguars 13-9 in the affair, with CeCe Kizer leading the way with three attempts, two on goal. The Rebels tested USA keeper Justice Stanford but the then-freshman made the save on all five threats to her goal.
SPREADING THE WEALTH
With Ole Miss already having bagged 14 goals through the season's first four matches, the scoring has come from a variety of different places for the Rebels. As per usual, senior standout CeCe Kizer is leading the way with five goals followed by a pair of newcomers in Florida State transfer Madisyn Pezzino and true freshman Haleigh Stackpole with two apiece. Four other Rebels have scored once in 2018 in sophomore Channing Foster, senior Ella Frischknecht and redshirt-freshmen Sydney Michalak and Madison Smith. You can also chalk one of Ole Miss' goals up to the Rebel opponents, with WKU committing an own goal in the 4-0 Ole Miss victory.
NO NEED FOR THE MAYTAG MAN
If you were to take a peek inside senior Marnie Merritt's bedroom it would be a pretty safe bet that the Rebel goalkeeper has the cleanest sheets on campus. Through four matches, Merritt has recorded three shutouts, making eight saves on the season for a .800 save percentage. The Huntersville, North Carolina has allowed just two goals in 378:29 between the posts, registering a 0.48 goals against average.
OLE MISS CONTINUES TO RECEIVE VOTES IN USC COACHES POLL
For the third-straight week, Ole Miss is receiving votes in the United Soccer Coaches Poll, garnering 10 votes. If the poll were extended, the Rebels would come in at No. 36.
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.
