Soccer Returns to Road for Tuesday Matinee at Auburn

			OLE MISS (1-2-0, 1-2-0) at AUBURN (0-0-1, 0-0-1) Tuesday, Oct. 13 • 4 p.m. • Auburn, Ala. Auburn Soccer Complex
WATCH • LIVE STATS • OLE MISS NOTES (PDF) • AUBURN NOTES (PDF) • SEC NOTES (PDF)

QUICK KICKS
• Ole Miss is coming off of a 1-0 loss to rival Mississippi State in Oxford on Oct. 2. It was the first loss to the Bulldogs for the Rebels since 2012 and the first time losing control of the Magnolia Cup in seven meetings.

• The match against the Tigers was originally scheduled for Oct. 11 but was postponed due to health and safety protocols surrounding COVID-19.

• The Rebels have had a string of positive results against Auburn in recent years, having not lost to the Tigers since 2012. Ole Miss is 4-0-2 in the last six matchups with Auburn.

• The last time the Rebels visited Auburn, Ole Miss pulled off a 3-2 come-from-behind victory over the then-No. 9 ranked Tigers behind a second half brace from former Rebel All-American CeCe Kizer.

• Tuesday's match is a reuniting of Ole Miss head coach Matt Mott and Auburn head coach Karen Hoppa. Mott served as an assistant coach and eventually associate head coach on Hoppa's staff for 11 years at UCF and Auburn.

• Ole Miss is looking to avoid back-to-back losses for the first time since 2018. The Rebels have responded with a win following a defeat in 11 of the last 14 opportunities.

• Channing Foster is the only Rebel on the current roster to have scored against Auburn, having tallied a goal in each of the last two meetings, including the golden goal in last season's 1-0 victory in Oxford.

• Tuesday's affair will be the first match for Auburn since the Tigers' season opener on Sept. 18 against Mississippi State following back-to-back postponements of AU's scheduled matches against Texas A&M and LSU.

SCOUTING AUBURN
Auburn is in its 22nd year under head coach Karen Hoppa, who has served as the gaffer on The Plains since 1999. During her run with the Tigers, Hoppa's squads have made 16 NCAA Tournament appearances, including seven SEC West Division Titles, one regular season SEC Championship and one SEC Tournament Championship. Prior to making the move to the SEC, Hoppa was the head coach for five seasons at UCF.

Due to complications surrounding COVID-19, Auburn has not played a match since the opening weekend of the season, with the Tigers drawing 1-1 with Mississippi State on Sept. 18 in Auburn. Since then, Auburn has had back-to-back matches with Texas A&M and LSU postponed.

The Tigers are led by three players who were named to the SEC Preseason Watch List in Sarah Houchin, Alyssa Malonson and Sydney Richards. Houchin, a two-time team captain, has started every match on the back line since joining the Auburn program in 2017, helping the team to 23 clean sheets over the last three seasons. Malonson has also started every match since her freshman campaign in 2017, earning SEC All-Freshman laurels that season and following up with a Second Team All-SEC nod in 2018. Richards, the only Tiger to score so far this season, is Auburn's leading returning goal scorer from last season, earning SEC All-Freshman accolades with four tallies a year ago.

Between the sticks, freshman goalkeeper Maddie Prohaska played the full way in the draw against Mississippi State in the opener. The West Chester, Ohio, native faced 19 shots, allowing one goal with eight saves made.

SERIES HISTORY - AUBURN
Ole Miss holds a slight edge in the all-time series with Auburn, sitting at 13-11-3 all-time against the Tigers. That lead has been built thanks to a recent run of success against the Tigers, with Ole Miss posting a 4-0-2 record in the last six meetings, having not fallen to Auburn since a 1-0 defeat on the road in 2012. Ole Miss is 5-6-2 all-time when visiting The Plains, though the Rebels have posted a 4-1-2 record in Auburn in the last seven road meetings, including a back-and-forth 3-2 victory in 2018 over the then-No. 9 ranked Tigers.

LAST MEETING - AUBURN (9/29/19)
OXFORD, Miss. - Playing in overtime for the third consecutive match to begin conference play, Ole Miss pulled out a thriller in Oxford on Sunday, defeating Auburn 1-0 behind a golden goal by Channing Foster.

Ashley Orkus was right on her game whenever called upon in the contest, and even played a part in the game-winner in picking up her fifth shutout of the season.

The first half didn't feature too much action, with Ole Miss taking a 4-2 advantage in shots into the break but both teams managing just one on target.

The next 45 minutes provided much of the same, with both teams scrapping to break down the opposing defense and create space. Neither side had much success until the final few minutes, when both had great chances to bag the winner.

The Rebs had the first great chance, with Molly Martin finding herself all alone in the box in the 85th minute on a ball over the top. The junior looked poised to head home the potential winner but couldn't get her angles right, sending the shot wide. A few minutes later, Auburn looked to have a good look at goal for a shot from the top of the box but an excellent defensive play by Haleigh Stackpole averted danger as the sophomore slid in and nabbed possession for Ole Miss.

For the third straight game the Rebels were forced to play extra minutes in overtime but the wait was well worth it.

It all started with a goal kick by Orkus, who hit Jenna Kemp at midfield. Kemp laid a ball ahead for Mulligan and the Hattiesburg product put on the afterburners, racing past the Auburn defender, winning a challenge and laying off to Foster. The rest was all but inevitable as Foster set the ball up on her left foot and found the corner for the golden goal.

TIGER TAMER... AGAIN
For the second time in three weeks, Ole Miss senior striker Channing Foster will be facing an SEC Tiger foe who she has typically feasted against. In three matches against Auburn in her career so far, Foster has found the back of the net twice. Then a sophomore, Foster scored Ole Miss' opening goal in the 3-2 come-from-behind win at Auburn in 2018, bending a sumptuous strike from the left side of the 18 into the right corner of the goal. Foster provided even more dramatics in the 2019 edition of the matchup, tucking a shot into the bottom corner in the first period of extra time for a golden goal winner. Combined with her three tallies against LSU, Foster can be considered the Tiger tamer of the SEC West.

BOUNCING BACK
In recent years Ole Miss has shown the strength and mental fortitude to respond following a defeat. Since 2018 the Rebels have bounced back from a loss with a win in 11-of-14 opportunities, having not lost back-to-back matches wince Sept. 16 and 20 of 2018. In those 14 opportunities to respond from a loss, Ole Miss has posted an 11-1-2 record.

SWEET ROAD ALABAMA
The Yellowhammer State has been a sort of home away from home for Ole Miss during the Matt Mott era. Ole Miss has won six-straight matches when visiting the state of Alabama during the regular season, including four wins in Mississippi's neighbor to the east in 2018. The Rebels have not lost within the state's borders during the regular season since 2012, with Ole Miss posting a 9-3-1 in Alabama since Matt Mott's hiring in 2010.

HOLLAND HEADS REBS PAST TIGERS
Playing on the road for the first time in 2020, Ole Miss earned three key points in Baton Rouge with a hard-fought 1-0 victory over LSU in Week 2. After the Tigers maintained control through the early part of the contest, Ole Miss took over and dominated the pace of play for the final 30 minutes or so of the first half, taking the half's final seven shots. Nonetheless, the two sides were forced to hit the halftime break deadlocked in a scoreless tie. Ole Miss again came out of the gates strong in the second stanza and in the 58th minute Saydie Holland rose high and headed home Haleigh Stackpole's corner kick delivery for the first goal of the sophomore's career. The Rebels were able to see out the final 32 minutes of play, earning an important victory away from home.

WE OVER ME
Every year, the members of the Ole Miss soccer senior class come together to create a motto for that season's team. This year, the Rebels are rallying behind the "We Over Me" mindset, the idea that no single person is bigger than the team and that the entire group of 25 must work together in order to accomplish the team's goals. A specially designed "We Over Me" logo has been created and features in various areas such as warm up gear and the Ole Miss Soccer Stadium videoboard.

OLE MISS ANNOUNCES SOCCER ATTENDANCE POLICY
Due to social distancing as well as health and safety policies on campus, soccer matches at the Ole Miss Soccer Stadium will look a little different in 2020. Based on the current state executive order, capacity in the grand stand has been limited to no more than 25 percent of capacity. In order to maximize the number of fans who will be allowed in attendance, a "pod" system has been implemented, with pods limited to groups of two or four members of a family or household. After the player guest pass list has been fulfilled for both the home and visiting teams, attendance options will be offered to a select group of fans through the Ole Miss Kicker Club and the Rebel Rewards App. Priority will be given based on each person's Kicker Club giving level or Rebel Rewards status. Due to social distancing restrictions, attendance will not be offered to the general public.

Additionally, face coverings are required at all times throughout the stadium, and tailgating is prohibited on campus.

MAGNOLIA STATE MASTERY
Since Ole Miss began its soccer program in 1995, the Rebels have owned the Magnolia State. The Rebs have posted a 28-8-5 record all-time against in-state foes and have have lost just once to a fellow Mississippi program in the last 10 in-state meetings. During the Matt Mott era the Rebels have faced off against in-state competition 16 times, posting an 11-3-2 record. In fact, outside of Mississippi State, Ole Miss holds a 13-1-0 record against Magnolia State teams, with the lone loss coming to William Carey in the Rebels' inaugural season.

OLE MISS SLOTTED 8TH IN SEC PRESEASON POLL
For the second consecutive season, Ole Miss has been predicted to finish eight in the league in the SEC Preseason Coaches Poll. The prognostication was right on the money in 2019, with the Rebels finishing in a tie for eighth-place with Auburn and Mississippi State with a 3-4-3 league record. However, in recent years the conference coaches have undervalued the Rebs, with Ole Miss outperforming its preseason ranking in five of the last eight seasons.

THREE'S COMPANY
For years Ole Miss has been known for having some of the more potent attacking groups in the Southeastern Conference, something that still rings true in 2020. In fact, Ole Miss' top scoring trio of seniors Channing Foster and Molly Martin and junior Haleigh Stackpole give the Rebels the league's second highest scoring threesome with 47 career goals among them, behind only Arkansas. This is in part thanks to the prolific scoring career of Foster, who enters the year as the SEC's leading active scorer with 30 goals in her three seasons in Red and Navy. However, when teams load up on the 2019 First Team All-SEC forward, Martin and Stackpole are unafraid to pick up the slack, finding the back of the net seven and 10 times in their careers, respectively.

REBEL FIVE TABBED TO SEC PRESEASON WATCH LIST
The SEC announced its Preseason Watch List on Thursday, with Ole Miss' placing five players on the list in seniors Channing Foster and Molly Martin and juniors Sydney Michalak, Ashley Orkus and Haleigh Stackpole.

Foster, Stackpole and Martin combine often to provide a powerful punch to the potent Rebel attack, leading the team in career scoring with 30, 10 and seven goals, respectively. In fact, 56.3 percent of Ole Miss' scoring in 2019 came from one of the three playmakers, as well as 10 of 21 assists tallied a year ago. All three stepped up in clutch moments as well, bagging seven of the Rebels' 10 game winning goals.

On the other side of the field, Michalak and Orkus anchor the Rebel defense. Converting from a winger to the full back position last season, Michalak burst onto the scene in establishing herself as a lockdown defender. The native Floridian's lightning quick speed translated well from the offensive side to the defensive side of the pitch, primarily being matched up with opposing team's most dangerous attacking threat. Behind Michalak, Orkus made a stellar debut season in goal for Ole Miss. The Tennessee transfer started every second of the 2019 campaign, ranking second in the league with 86 saves while posting a 1.28 goals-against average and six clean sheets.

STRONGER TOGETHER
In early September, Ole Miss and 12 other institutions throughout the state of Mississippi announced the launching of the "Stronger Together" initiative to unite the state's athletics programs and communities in support of togetherness, diversity and equality.

During the 2020-21 academic year, college and university athletics programs in Mississippi will incorporate a special logo on their uniforms, equipment, warm-up gear or bags. The logo will serve as a visual representation of the state's schools coming together and will feature school-specific branding with the words "Stronger Together" inside the outline of Mississippi.

The campaign was created for the state's colleges and universities to come together, listen, learn and support student-athletes through their challenges, stresses and pressures related to events around the country. As part of the initiative, the schools will unite in their efforts to promote social justice and racial equality through advocacy, awareness and education.

REBS ADD PAIR OF IMPACT TRANSFERS
Over the years the Rebels have fared well when adding talent off of the transfer market and head coach Matt Mott is hoping to strike gold once again with a pair of experienced newcomers in Tyler Junior College product Marta Estupiñán and former Florida State Seminole Taylor Radecki.

Estupiñán, who originally hails from Canaries, Spain, is coming off of back-to-back NJCAA All-America seasons for the Apaches, anchoring the back line and helping TJC capture the 2019 NJCAA National Championship after a runner-up finish in 2018. Estupiñán, who was named the MVP of the NJCAA National Tournament, helped the Apaches to a 45-3-1 record during her two seasons, scoring five times and dishing out a pair of assists.

REBEL FRESHMEN NAMED GATORADE POTY
In June, the Gatorade Player of the Year was announced for each state, with two of Ole Miss' five freshmen honored in Lucy Green and Sydney Ham. The award, which recognizes not only outstanding athletic excellence, but also high standards of academic achievement and exemplary character demonstrated on and off the field, distinguished Green and Ham as their state's best high school soccer player.

Green, who is the first player for West Lauderdale High School to be named Mississippi's Gatorade Player of the Year, helped lead the charge to the Knight's fourth state championship in five years, scored seven goals and dished out 11 assists this past season. The Clarion Ledger First Team All-State honoree anchored a defense that posted 21 clean sheets and surrendered just seven goals on the season.

While Green shined in the defensive half of the pitch, Ham lit up the scoreboard in becoming Briarcrest Christian School's first Gatorade Player of the Year honoree. Capable in the midfield as well as up front as a striker, Ham spearheaded a 17-1-1 season for the Saints, culminating in a victory in the Tennessee State Championship Game. The Daily Memphian Player of the Year, Ham was selected to play in the prestigious High School All-American Game this past December.

GAS IN THE TANK
Over her first two seasons as a Rebel, junior Haleigh Stackpole has proven to have deep reserves when it comes to energy. The Fort Bragg, North Carolina native has been a fixture in the Ole Miss lineup ever since stepping foot on campus, starting all 42 matches of her collegiate career. Even more impressive, the box-to-box midfielder has hardly ever come off the field despite easily pacing the Rebels in distance ran every match, typically 9-10 miles. After ranking second on the team as a freshman at just over 84 minutes per match, Stackpole was subbed for just three total minutes in 2019, logging 1,899 minutes over 20 matches.

FOSTER ENTERS TOP 10
With 10 goals in 2019, Channing Foster cracked the top-10 on Ole Miss' all-time scoring list, finding the back of the net 30 times in her career to pull into a tie for seventh most with Jennifer Soileau, Regan Scanlon and Addie Forbus. With a potential to play two more seasons in Red and Navy, Foster sits 18 goals behind former teammate CeCe Kizer as the most prolific Rebel in history. The three-time All-SEC standout also has the opportunity to enter rarified air this season. If the Graves County High School product can make it a fourth-successive all-conference nod, she'll join Rebel great Danielle Johnson as just the second Ole Miss player to ever do so.

SMART COOKIE
Of the 25 players on the Ole Miss roster, one has earned the right to wear the "SEC Graduate" patch on her shoulder. Chanel Thomas earned her bachelor's degree in managerial finanace in 2020 and is currently working towards a master's of business administration degree. However, that's not where the honors end for the Scottsdale, Arizona, native. Below is a summary of the academic laurels Thomas has earned in her time at Ole Miss:

• Graduated in 3 years with a degree in managerial finance, 4.0 GPA
• Has been the team academic captain for the last 3 years
• Recipient of the University of Mississippi's Taylor Medal, awarded to no more than 1% of students each year
• One of four Finalist for the 2020 Arthur Ashe Junior National Sports Scholar of the Year Award
• 2020 Outstanding Undergraduate Managerial Finance Student Award

KIZER CAPTURES NWSL CHALLENGE CUP
In her second professional season, Ole Miss alum CeCe Kizer helped the Houston Dash collect some hardware this summer as the Houston Dash claimed the NWSL Challenge Cup. Kizer, the 13th overall selection in the 2019 NWSL Draft, played a pivotal role in the Dash' win over the Chicago Red Stars in the championship match, coming on early as a sub and playing the final 61 minutes of action. Kizer recently signed a two-year extension with the Dash and will compete with Norwegian Toppserien club Kolbotn IL on a loan spell through the rest of 2020, making the league's Team of the Week in each of her first two weeks in Norway.

FOLLOW THE REBS!
Fans can keep up with all the goings on around the Ole Miss soccer program by following the Rebels on the team's various social media platforms. You can find the Rebs on Twitter at @OleMissSoccer, on Instagram at @OfficialOleMissSoccer or on Facebook by search "Ole Miss Soccer".

NEXT UP
Ole Miss will make a return trip to the Yellowhammer State following Tuesday's tussle with Auburn, taking on the Crimson Tide of Alabama on Oct. 18 in Tuscaloosa, Alabama.

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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Players Mentioned

Channing Foster

Lucy Green

Sydney Ham

Saydie Holland

Jenna Kemp

CeCe Kizer

Molly Martin

Sydney Michalak

Ashley Orkus

Taylor Radecki

Haleigh Stackpole

Chanel Thomas

The University of Mississippi Athletics