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The University of Mississippi Athletics
Ole Miss
No. 9 Auburn
Soccer Hits The Plains for Sunday Matchup with No. 9 Auburn
9/22/2018 | Soccer
Rebels Looking to End Mini Two-Match Losing Skid
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OLE MISS (7-4) vs. NO. 9 AUBURN (9-0-1) Sunday, Sept. 23 • 2 p.m. • Auburn, Ala. Auburn Soccer Complex (1,500)  |
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| Watch • Live Stats • Ole Miss Match Notes • Auburn Match Notes | ||||||||
KICKERS
• Ole Miss is coming off of its first SEC loss of the season, a 2-0 defeat to No. 19 Tennessee on Thursday.
• Marnie Merritt made a season-high eight saves in the loss to the Volunteers on Thursday, two shy of the career-high 10 she made last season at Texas A&M.
• The Rebels went 1-1 last week to move to 7-3 on the season, defeating Alabama 1-0 on the road in Tuscaloosa to start SEC play.
• The victory over Alabama was the first win for Ole Miss in its SEC opener since 2013.
• The clean sheet against the Crimson Tide marks the first time since 2003 that the Rebels have opened conference action with a shutout.
• The NCAA released its initial RPI report this week, with Ole Miss slotted at No. 80.
• Rebel head coach Matt Mott will be making a return to The Plains on Sunday, having served on the coaching staff at Auburn from 1999-2005.
• Sunday's matchup will provide a quality opportunity for the Rebels to move up in the RPI rankings, with Auburn slotted at No. 11 nationally.
• The all-time series between Ole Miss and Auburn is deadlocked at 11-11-2, with the Rebels going undefeated against the Tigers since 2013.
• Auburn will provide a stiff test for the Ole Miss defense, with the Tigers leading the nation in goals, assists and points.
• The Rebel attack will have its hands full Sunday as well, with Auburn leading the SEC with a 0.293 goals against average.
• CeCe Kizer is one goal away from breaking Ole Miss' all-time record for goals in a career. The senior is currently tied with Rebel great Rafaelle Souza with 44.
• Kizer continues to lead the SEC with 22 points and nine goals, while ranking tied for seventh with four assists. The senior ranks third in the nation in both goals and points.
• 11 different Rebels have scored in 2018, while 11 players have recorded at least one assist on the season.
SCOUTING AUBURN
Having their prefect record broken with a 0-0 draw on Thursday against LSU, the Tigers boast a 9-0-1 record coming into Sunday's match, the lone unbeaten mark in the SEC. Auburn is the league's leading scoring offense, averaging 3.20 goals per game, third most in the nation. The Tigers have gotten their scoring from many different areas, with 12 different players having scored, including seven with multiple goals. The Tigers have also been extremely stingy on defense, ranking fifth in the nation and first in the SEC with a 0.293 goals against average.
The Auburn offense is spearheaded by junior forward Bri Folds, who ranks 16th nationally with seven goals, while also dishing out six assists on the season. Folds' 20 points are the sixth most in Division I, sitting two behind Ole Miss' CeCe Kizer for the SEC lead. Junior forward Treva Aycock has also been a force for AU, bagging five goals and five assists for 15 total points. Junior Jessie Gerow and redshirt-freshman Angeline Daly are next in line for the Tigers with 10 points on four goals and two assists apiece.
The Tigers have implemented three goalkeepers to produce their stellar defensive record, though senior Sarah Le Beau has done the bulk of the heavy lifting with all 10 starts and 844:31 between the posts. Le Beau has surrendered just three goals on the season for a 0.32 goals against average, making 35 saves and posting a .921 save percentage. Redshirt freshman Morgan Ramby and junior Sophie Milich have both seen spot duty, with both not having yet allowed a goal.
SERIES HISTORY - AUBURN
After last season's draw in Oxford, the all-time series between Ole Miss and Auburn remains deadlocked at 11-11-2, with Ole Miss remaining unbeaten against the Tigers since 2014 with a pair of wins and a pair of draws. The Rebels are 4-6-2 all-time at Auburn, though they have fared far better recently. In the last six meetings out on The Plains, Ole Miss is 3-1-2 as the road team.
LAST MEETING - AUBURN (10/19/17)
Ole Miss took the lead over Auburn twice but each time the Tigers were able to answer back as the two teams settled for a draw at the Ole Miss Soccer Stadium.
The Rebels jumped out in front early, with CeCe Kizer scoring from the top of the 18-yard box off a feed from Gabby Little to take the lead in the eighth minute. The advantage, however, didn't last long as Courtney Schell evened the score for Auburn in the 15th-minute.
It was once again Little and Kizer that combined to give the Rebels a second half lead in the 53rd minute. After Little was dragged down in the box for a penalty, Kizer converted from the spot to regain the lead for Ole Miss at 2-1.
The lead lasted nearly 20 minutes until Auburn again equalized in the 72nd-minute, scoring on a set play from the top corner of the 18-yard box on a curling shot from Ellie Leek.
A few minutes later the Rebels were dealt a tough blow as Ella Frischknecht was shown a questionable red card, forcing Ole Miss to play defensively down a player for the final 36 minutes. The Rebels were able to hold on in the end, earning an important point.
MOTT RETURNS TO THE PLAINS
Rebel head coach Matt Mott will have a certain level of comfort when stepping inside of the Auburn Soccer Complex on Sunday, having spent six seasons on the coaching staff for the Tigers from 1999-2005, first as an assistant, then assistant head coach and ultimately associate head coach. Helping Auburn to four-straight SEC West titles and NCAA Tournament appearances from 2001-04, Mott was named the AFLAC National Assistant Coach of the Year in 2002 as the Tigers won the SEC Championship. Prior to arriving on The Plains, Mott also served as assistant coach under Tiger head coach Karen Hoppa for four seasons at his alma mater, UCF.
