The University of Mississippi Athletics
Soccer Position Preview: Forwards
8/21/2019 | Soccer
Previewing the Rebel Forwards Ahead of the 2019 Season
OXFORD, Miss. โ In the third of a three-part series, OleMissSports.com takes a look at the Rebel soccer team's group of forwards ahead of Thursday night's season opener against North Alabama.
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Ole Miss returns a deep stable of attacking players from last season's team, including Channing Foster, Gabby Little, Alley Houghton, Madisyn Pezzino and Lonnie Mulligan.
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The leading returning scorer for the Rebels, Foster has been named Second Team All-SEC in both of her first two seasons, also earning United Soccer Coaches All-Southeast Region honors a year ago. After scoring 12 times as the SEC's leading freshman scorer in 2017, Foster ranked sixth in the league with eight goals last season, including five in league play.
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Playing her final season in Oxford, Little returns as a team captain for the second-straight season. Little led the team with eight assists as a sophomore and returned with four helpers in 2018 to tie for the second most among all Rebels. The Collierville, Tennessee native also scored a pair of goals last season, including a late game-winner against Florida Atlantic.
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Houghton was forced to sit out the 2018 seasons due to injury but is back healthy to start the 2019 campaign. After shattering the Mississippi record with 250 goals at Lafayette High School, the Oxford product has scored four times in red and navy, registering five assists as a sophomore in 2017.
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Another state high school career goals record holder, New York native Pezzino returns for her second season at Ole Miss after playing her freshman season at Florida State. Pezzino appeared in 21 matches with 11 starts last season, recording three goals and three assists on the year, including a brace in her Rebel debut.
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One of six total Mississippi natives on the roster, Mulligan made one start but primarily provided a spark off the bench for the Rebels in her 21 appearances during her freshman season. The speedster out of Hattiesburg tallied three assists, scoring her first career goal against Arkansas.
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The Rebels add just one freshman to their forward group but it's a big one in two-time Mississippi Gatorade Player of the Year Mo O'Connor. Playing at local Oxford High School, O'Connor scored 141 goals with 55 assists as a Charger, leading OHS to back-to-back state titles in 2016 and 2017. O'Connor received all-state honors all four high school seasons, being named All-America by both Allstate and the United Soccer Coaches as a senior.
Keep up with all the latest news and information on the Rebels by following Ole Miss Soccer on Twitter at @OleMissSoccer, on Facebook atย Facebook.com/OleMissSoccer, and on Instagram at Instagram.com/officialolemisssoccer. Also follow head coach Matt Mott on Twitter atย @CoachMattMott.
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Ole Miss returns a deep stable of attacking players from last season's team, including Channing Foster, Gabby Little, Alley Houghton, Madisyn Pezzino and Lonnie Mulligan.
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The leading returning scorer for the Rebels, Foster has been named Second Team All-SEC in both of her first two seasons, also earning United Soccer Coaches All-Southeast Region honors a year ago. After scoring 12 times as the SEC's leading freshman scorer in 2017, Foster ranked sixth in the league with eight goals last season, including five in league play.
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Playing her final season in Oxford, Little returns as a team captain for the second-straight season. Little led the team with eight assists as a sophomore and returned with four helpers in 2018 to tie for the second most among all Rebels. The Collierville, Tennessee native also scored a pair of goals last season, including a late game-winner against Florida Atlantic.
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Houghton was forced to sit out the 2018 seasons due to injury but is back healthy to start the 2019 campaign. After shattering the Mississippi record with 250 goals at Lafayette High School, the Oxford product has scored four times in red and navy, registering five assists as a sophomore in 2017.
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Another state high school career goals record holder, New York native Pezzino returns for her second season at Ole Miss after playing her freshman season at Florida State. Pezzino appeared in 21 matches with 11 starts last season, recording three goals and three assists on the year, including a brace in her Rebel debut.
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One of six total Mississippi natives on the roster, Mulligan made one start but primarily provided a spark off the bench for the Rebels in her 21 appearances during her freshman season. The speedster out of Hattiesburg tallied three assists, scoring her first career goal against Arkansas.
ย
The Rebels add just one freshman to their forward group but it's a big one in two-time Mississippi Gatorade Player of the Year Mo O'Connor. Playing at local Oxford High School, O'Connor scored 141 goals with 55 assists as a Charger, leading OHS to back-to-back state titles in 2016 and 2017. O'Connor received all-state honors all four high school seasons, being named All-America by both Allstate and the United Soccer Coaches as a senior.
Keep up with all the latest news and information on the Rebels by following Ole Miss Soccer on Twitter at @OleMissSoccer, on Facebook atย Facebook.com/OleMissSoccer, and on Instagram at Instagram.com/officialolemisssoccer. Also follow head coach Matt Mott on Twitter atย @CoachMattMott.
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Players Mentioned
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