The University of Mississippi Athletics

Friday, September 7
Fayetteville, Ark.
4 PM

Ole Miss

vs

UConn

Back on the Road Again: Rebel Soccer Heads to Fayetteville

9/6/2018 | Soccer

Sept. 7 | 4 p.m. | Fayetteville, Ark.
Razorback Field 
Live Stats Only

Sept. 9 | 10:30 a.m. | Fayetteville, Ark.
Razorback Field 
Live Stats Only

KICKERS
• Ole Miss is coming off of a 2-0 trip to Mobile, Alabama, defeating Troy Thursday before taking down the host South Alabama Jaguars on Sunday.
• Ole Miss is in the middle of a five-match road swing, heading to Fayetteville, Arkansas for a pair of neutral-site games against UConn and FAU. The Rebels and Huskies have never met, while Ole Miss won the only previous meeting with FAU, a 4-0 victory in Oxford in 2009.
• The Rebels continue to be one of the SEC's most dangerous offensive forces. Ole Miss leads the league in goals per game (3.50) and shots per game (21.50), while ranking second in points per game (9.33) and third in assists per game (2.33).
• The Rebels have dominated the possession in the majority of their contests in 2018, demonstrated by a 129-63 advantage in terms of shots, including 57-18 in shots on goal.
CeCe Kizer has established herself as one of the premier offensive threats in the SEC as well as across the nation. The senior leads the conference in goals (7) and points (16). As of the most updated NCAA statistics (9/3), Kizer is tied as the nation's leader in both goals and points.
Haleigh Stackpole scored the game-winner against the Trojans. The freshman is tied for second on the team with three goals, all three being game-winners. Stackpole's three game-winning goals is tied for second in the NCAA.
Channing Foster converted from the penalty spot for her third goal of the season on Thursday. Foster leads the SEC in shots per game (4.67), ranking 27th nationally as of Thursday.
Gabby Little has been the primary playmaker for Ole Miss, dishing out four assists from her left winger position. Those four assists are good for third-most in the SEC.
• A pair of Rebels are approaching history, with CeCe Kizer sitting three goals away from breaking the all-time record for career scoring and Marnie Merritt three shutouts shy of setting the new career record at Ole Miss.
 
SCOUTING UCONN
UConn will come to Fayetteville with a 1-5 overall record, having lost three-straight matches to Boston College, Rutgers and Boston, respectively. In their six matches, the Huskies have been outscored 4-14. The offense has struggled recently for the Huskies, with UConn failing to score in any of their last three matches. UConn is averaging just over 10 shots per game, scoring on just 6.5 percent of its attempts. One area the Huskies have exceled at has been earning trips to the corner flag, taking 26 corners on the season.
 
The Huskies are led in scoring by sophomore midfielder Sophia Danyko-Kulchycky, who has scored a pair of goals on the season, including the team's lone game-winner. Danyko-Kulchyscky has fired off nine shots, one off of Erin Spillane's team-high. Spillane, a junior midfielder, and freshman forward Pato Jerzak have bagged the other two goals in 2018 for UConn. Sophomore Randi Palacios has started all six matches in goal, posting a 2.33 goals against average with 28 saves and a .683 save percentage.
 
SERIES HISTORY - UCONN
Friday's matchup will be the first meeting ever between Ole Miss and UConn. The Huskies will be the 105th opponent all-time for the Rebels.

SCOUTING FAU
Coming into the week, FAU sits at 2-4 on the season, though two of their losses have come to ranked sides in Florida and Baylor. The Owls were victorious their last time out, defeating Niagara 3-2 in Boca Raton. Despite their record, the Owls have been nearly even with their opponents in goal production, scoring 11 and letting in 14 on the year. FAU averages just over 10 shots per game, recording a .172 shot percentage and placing exactly half of their attempts on frame. The Oswls have proven to be an aggressive team, racking up 59 fouls so far this season.

The Owls are led in scoring by junior forward Tiril Haga, who has scored three times and chipped in an assist for a team-high seven points. senior midfielder Ebba Blomqvist is the only other Owl with multiple goals, scoring twice. Blomqvist was FAU's lone selection to the Conference-USA Preseason Team. Though failing to score through six games, junior forward Pernille Velta has made her presence felt in other ways, leading FAU with three assists. Senior goalkeeper Jennifer Ocampo has been on the pitch for every second of action, garnering a 2.36 goals against average with 28 saves and a 0.667 save percentage.

SERIES HISTORY - FAU
Ole Miss and FAU have met up just one previous time, with Ole Miss earning a 4-0 victory over the Owls in a match played in Boca Raton in 2009.

LAST MEETING - FAU (9/20/09)
Thanks in large part to a brace from senior captain Hannah Weatherly, Ole Miss dominated the Owls in a 4-0 victory at the FAU Soccer Complex in Boca Raton. The Rebels were on the front foot nearly the entire match, outshooting FAU 30-4 in the contest.
 
Weatherly got the Rebels on the board quickly, converting from the penalty spot at the 8:28 mark of the first half. Mary Bailey Wickham doubled the Ole Miss lead in the 31st-minute, firing in a low shot past the Owl keeper.

The second half was more of the same, with Weatherly again finding the back of the net shortly after kickoff. This time it took the senior less than three minutes, scoring off of a Danielle Johnson free kick service. Kelsey Breathitt closed things out in the 61st-minute, scoring from 15-yards out.

PAIR OF REBELS CHASING HISTORY
Rebel seniors CeCe Kizer and Marnie Merritt are on the cusp of etching their names in the history books at Ole Miss. Kizer is just three goals away from setting Ole Miss' all-time record for a career, while Merritt sits just three shutouts short of breaking the all-time mark. Additionally, Kizer is nine points away from setting the new Rebel record for career points, while Merritt needs 10 more wins to become the winningest goalkeeper in Ole Miss history.

YOU'RE LOOKING AT A WINNER, WINNER, WINNER
Despite having played just six collegiate matches in her life, midfielder Haleigh Stackpole has wasted no time in become one of Ole Miss' most clutch players. The Ft. Bragg, North Carolina native has scored three times in her Rebel career and all three goals have been game-winners. Stackpole is tied for second in the nation with three game-winning goals, just one shy of the national lead.

NO SLOWING HER DOWN
Since stepping on campus in Oxford four years ago, CeCe Kizer has established herself as one of the great goal scorers not only in the SEC but across the nation. The senior has been up to her old tricks in 2018, racking up seven goals through six matches to tie for the national lead with Nicholls State's Francesca Curteis. Kizer and Curteis also share the national lead in points, each having registered 16 thus far. The senior has been a big driving force behind the Rebel offense, the top scoring team in the NCAA with 21 goals on the season.

SPREADING THE WEALTH
With Ole Miss already having bagged 21 goals through the season's first six 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 seven goals followed by 2017 SEC All-Freshman selection Channing Foster and true freshman Haleigh Stackpole with three apiece. Sophomore Florida State transfer Madisyn Pezzino has also gotten on the scoresheet multiple times, bagging a pair in her first season in Oxford. Five other Rebels have scored once in 2018 in seniors Ella Frischknecht, Marisa Kutchma and Mary Kate Smith as well as 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.

OLE MISS CONTINUES TO RECEIVE VOTES IN USC COACHES POLL
For the fourth-straight week, Ole Miss is receiving votes in the United Soccer Coaches Poll, garnering 14 votes. If the poll were extended, the Rebels would come in at No. 35.
                                   
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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