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The University of Mississippi Athletics
Ole Miss
Memphis
Ole Miss Set for Derby Duel with Memphis Sunday
9/15/2018 | Soccer
Rebels Hoping to Remain Perfect at Home to Round Out Non-Conference Play
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OLE MISS (7-2) vs. MEMPHIS (7-1) Sunday, Sept. 16 • 7 p.m. • Oxford, Miss. Ole Miss Soccer Stadium (1,300)  |
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| Watch • Live Stats • Ole Miss Match Notes • Memphis Match Notes | ||||||||
KICKERS
• Ole Miss enters Sunday's match with a 7-2 record, coming off of a hard fought 1-0 victory on the road in Tuscaloosa over Alabama Thursday night to open up SEC play.
• The clean sheet against the Crimson Tide marks the first time since 2003 that the Rebels have opened conference action with a shutout.
• Ole Miss will play in front of its home crowd on Sunday for the first time since August 26 against Murray State. The Rebels finished up a five-match road stretch on Thursday, concluding the run with a 4-1 record.
• Sunday's match is the 21st iteration of the derby rivalry between Ole Miss and Memphis. The Rebels own a 12-6-2 advantage in the series, including 7-3-1 in Oxford.
• Bringing a 7-1 record to Oxford, Memphis' offense has been on full display in 2018. The Tigers lead the American in goals (22), assists (15), points (59) and shots (155). Meanwhile, the Tiger defense has been extremely stout, with goalkeeper Elizabeth Moberg leading the nation with seven shutouts.
• The Rebels continue to be one of the SEC's most dangerous offensive forces. Ole Miss leads the league in goals with 26, while ranking second in goals per game (3.25) and points (71).
• The Rebels have dominated the possession in the majority of their contests in 2018, demonstrated by a 163-77 advantage in terms of shots, including 57-18 in shots on goal.
• Marking a milestone in one of the most decorated careers in Ole Miss history, CeCe Kizer tied the school record for career goals in last Sunday's win over FAU, scoring the 44th of her career.
• Kizer, the nation's active leader in career scoring, leads all of Division I this season with nine goals and 22 points, also pacing the Rebels with four assists on the year.
• Haleigh Stackpole found the back of the net for the third time in four matches against UConn. The freshman ranks second on the team with four goals in 2018, with three of her scores being game-winners.
SCOUTING MEMPHIS
The Memphis Tigers come into this weekend's derby red hot, riding a five-match win streak in which they've posted a clean sheet in each match and have bagged 12 goals along the way. In fact, Memphis has pitched a shutout in every match except one this season, falling 5-2 to Mississippi State in the Tigers' lone loss of the season. With their seven shutouts, Memphis boasts a 22-5 scoring margin in 2018. One of the main forces behind the success has been the stoutness of the Tiger defense. Memphis has allowed just 19 shots on goal and just 47 attempts overall. This may partially be due to the physicality of the Memphis lineup, having been whistled for 93 fouls on the year.
Nine different Tigers have found the back of the net, with sophomore forward Clarissa Larisey leading the way with seven goals, most in the American Athletic Conference. Larisey is followed closely behind my sophomore attacker Samantha Murphy, who is tied for second in the league with five scores. Senior midfielder/defender Marie Levasseur and junior defender Stasia Mallin have been the primary playmakers for the Tigers, each having posted three assists. The back line for the Tigers is bolstered by Preseason All-AAC defender Olivia Gauthier, who has added to the offense with a pair of helpers as well.
In goal, sophomore Elizabeth Moberg has seen all of the action, registering 727:54 in net for the Tigers. Moberg is the nation's leader in shutouts with seven, while ranking first in the American with a 0.62 goals against average. The native Floridian hasn't been forced into too much action, only having been forced into 11 saves on the year, good for a .688 save percentage.
SERIES HISTORY - MEMPHIS
Sunday's affair will be the 21st edition of the derby between Ole Miss and Memphis, with the Rebels owning a 12-6-2 all-time record against their neighbors to the north. The comforts of Oxford have been particularly kind to Ole Miss against the Tigers, with the Rebs holding a 7-3-1 advantage over Memphis at the Ole Miss Soccer Stadium. Ole Miss and Memphis have faced off every year except for one (2012) since 2003.
LAST MEETING - MEMPHIS (9/10/17)
As has been the theme the past few seasons, the 2017 edition of the Ole Miss vs. Memphis derby was a tight, physical affair. In the end, the Rebels came out on top over the home team, with Channing Foster providing the lone goal of the match.
Foster was a woman possessed in the match, taking seven of Ole Miss' 11 shots on the night. After seeing each of her first four attempts fail to reach their target, Foster produced some magic with her left foot to push the Rebels ahead in the 43rd-minute. Taking a pass from CeCe Kizer on a give-and-go, Foster uncorked a rocket from 35 yards out and gave the Tiger keeper no chance, perfectly placing the ball in the upper-90.
Ole Miss produced a few more chances after the intermission that narrowly missed but the lone goal was enough to pick up three points, thanks in part to an excellent save by Marnie Merritt in the 81st-minute to preserve the lead.
RECORD WATCH: CECE KIZER
With her 15th-minute goal in last Sunday's match against FAU in Fayetteville, senior CeCe Kizer tied the Ole Miss all-time record for goals in a career. The Overland Park, Kansas native has found the back of the net 44 times in a Rebel kit, laying claim to two of the top-10 greatest goal-scoring seasons in program history, netting 14 as a freshman and 16 a season ago. The prolific scorer is also just three points from breaking the career-record in that category, having racked up 106 points in her career.
RECORD WATCH: MARNIE MERRITT
Having been stationed between the posts for just about every second of Ole Miss' schedule over the past four seasons, fifth-year senior Marnie Merritt is closing in on a pair of career records at Ole Miss. Merritt has registered 21 clean sheets in her Rebel career, two shy of breaking the school record for shutouts in a career. The Huntersville, North Carolina product is also zeroing in on the all-time record for wins in a career, needing just five more to surpass Kelly McCormick for the Ole Miss record.
OH, CANADA?
While Sunday's match will take place roughly just three hundred miles from the Gulf of Mexico, the matchup will feature a myriad of players hailing from America's neighbor to the north. The Memphis roster is made up of 14 native Canadians across seven provinces. While not nearly boasting the numbers that Memphis can, Ole Miss has its own connections to the Great White North as well. Freshman Goalkeeper Morgan McAslan calls Waterdown, Ontario home, coming to Ole Miss from Waterdown District High School. Additionally, though keeper Marnie Merritt is a native North Carolinian, the senior is half Canadian on her father's side.
NON-CON DOMINANCE
Over the past two seasons, Ole Miss has been nothing short of dominant when facing non-conference competition at the Ole Miss Soccer Stadium. The Rebels are undefeated in their last nine home matches outside of SEC play, boasting an 8-0-1 record while outscoring their opponents 46-1.
REBS OPEN SEC PLAY WITH A DUB
For the first time in five years, Ole Miss kicked off SEC play with a victory, defeating Alabama 1-0 in Tuscaloosa behiund Molly Martin's 45th-minute headed goal. The Rebels had to survive a furocious push from Alabama in the second half, as the Crimson Tide launched 13 shots at the Ole Miss goal, though only three were on frame. Marnie Merritt and the Ole Miss defense came up big to preserve the narrow lead, with Merritt making all three saves when called upon and the defense selling out to make four blocks in the contest. The win was the first time since 2003 that the Rebels posted a shutout in the conference opener.
