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The University of Mississippi Athletics
Soccer Practice Report: Oct. 2
10/2/2020 | Soccer
<i class="icon-video"></i> Mott Interview<i class="icon-video"></i> Thomas Interview<i class="icon-video"></i> Kemp Interview
Intensity Heightened During Rivalry Week
OXFORD, Miss. – Coming off of the first win of the season on the road last week over LSU, Ole Miss makes its return to the Ole Miss Soccer Stadium tonight for one of the key fixtures on the docket in 2020, the annual matchup for the Magnolia Cup against Mississippi State
Earlier this week, head coach Matt Mott, senior Chanel Thomas and sophomore Jenna Kemp sat down with our own Seth Austin to chat about the team's week of practice and the outlook of the match.
BACK IN THE WIN COLUMN
The Rebels left Baton Rouge last Sunday with a strong 1-0 win over the Tigers of LSU behind Saydie Holland's header in the 58th minute. As a team, Ole Miss executed its game plan and accomplished its goal on the road.
"We worked all week on some parts for LSU, and I thought the players did a fantastic job of playing the way we want to as a collective group," said head coach Matt Mott. "We showed a lot of toughness and just kind of battled throughout the game. Scored a really good goal, Saydie Holland with a great header, and then defended really well."
The first win on the season also gives the Rebels some momentum moving into week three of the campaign. For midfielder Jenna Kemp, the team is back playing with a chip on their shoulder.
"It was huge," said Kemp. "I think we were super fired up after losing. We wanted to prove that we were better than a 3-0 loss, so we were super fired up and ready to go. It was awesome for us."
SEIZING THE OPPORTUNITY
Although she is just a sophomore, Kemp has valuable SEC experience from a year ago. She started seven of the last 10 matches for the Rebels in 2019 and has already seen significant playing time through the first two games of the season.
"After starting and playing a lot, it helped boost my confidence, and I think that was something that I needed to work on and has really helped us this fall," said Kemp.
Kemp earned her first start of the season in last weekend's victory. The Germantown, Tennessee, native is part of a talented midfield group and is making the most of her opportunity.
"Jenna started against LSU and did a great job for us in midfield," said Mott. "She's very technical, she's a great athlete and just flies around the field and is very, very good with the ball. She has a really deadly right foot, and then she's a competitor, she wants to win and there's no doubt about it … She's just a player you love to have on your team because she's going to work and push players and when she gets a chance she's going to do really well. I'm expecting a big sophomore year from her, and she started out in a really good rate at this point."
TRUE DEFENDER
Chanel Thomas is one of the senior leaders for the Rebels both on and off the pitch. She made her first start of the season last weekend, playing all 90 minutes in the shutout victory.
"Coco, she's an all-timer," said Mott. "She's one of the best student athletes we've ever had. She's won the Taylor Medal here, she's going to go off to law school, she's trying to get into Harvard. To me she's a pro, she's done everything you've asked her to do. You know, when she's playing at her top level, she's one of the best right backs we have in the league. She can get up and down the field. She had a tough to job on LSU, and I think really did a great job on one of their really dangerous players. She's been our two or three-year academic captain, and you look at our grades, and they're great and she's on it. I love her and think she's a big-time Rebel. We're trying to end this senior year for her really well because she's one of the ones that's moving on, and she's going do great things as a lawyer, there's no doubt about it."
BATTLE FOR THE MAGNOLIA CUP
Ole Miss is set to host the Bulldogs Friday at 7 p.m. CT. The Rebels are looking to retain the Magnolia Cup for the seventh straight year, the longest streak by either team in the history of the rivalry. As we inch closer to game time, there is no doubt that every player on both sides understands the importance of the rivalry.
"It's a huge rivalry, and we want to win," said Kemp. "We definitely know what's at stake."
Coaching in his 11th season at Ole Miss, Mott looks to improve his record against Mississippi State to 7-2-3 and retain the trophy. All week, he has prepared his team to go out there and play with toughness and effort.
"It's intense," said Mott. "It's a great rivalry. The players care, the fans care, everyone is really dialed in to how you do in that game … They fought us really hard last year, it was a great 1-1 game there, and then we snuck one out at the tournament against them. Fans can expect a hard, tough, aggressive game with two teams that really want to win and are putting it all out there.
"You always look forward to it. It's stressful as a coach because we want to be prepared and ready and we play for a trophy. It's one of the only regular season games you'll play for a trophy, and you want to keep that trophy. We want to keep it here in Oxford for sure."
Playing in her final Magnolia Cup game, Thomas is hoping to go out with another victory over the Bulldogs.
"Everyone understands how big the rivalry is, and if you don't, there are some issues," said Thomas. "I think it's always exciting to play and be able to compete and show that we are the best team in the state. It's obviously going to be an extremely intense game. We've spoken a lot this week about toughness and effort. We know we have the talent that we need to compete and accomplish something great this season. But in order to do that, we all need to put our maximum effort out there, have a lot of grit and make sure we do all the things we need to in order to win because it's not going to be easy. We want to make sure that we protect our field and retain the Magnolia Cup for another year."
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.
Earlier this week, head coach Matt Mott, senior Chanel Thomas and sophomore Jenna Kemp sat down with our own Seth Austin to chat about the team's week of practice and the outlook of the match.
BACK IN THE WIN COLUMN
The Rebels left Baton Rouge last Sunday with a strong 1-0 win over the Tigers of LSU behind Saydie Holland's header in the 58th minute. As a team, Ole Miss executed its game plan and accomplished its goal on the road.
"We worked all week on some parts for LSU, and I thought the players did a fantastic job of playing the way we want to as a collective group," said head coach Matt Mott. "We showed a lot of toughness and just kind of battled throughout the game. Scored a really good goal, Saydie Holland with a great header, and then defended really well."
The first win on the season also gives the Rebels some momentum moving into week three of the campaign. For midfielder Jenna Kemp, the team is back playing with a chip on their shoulder.
"It was huge," said Kemp. "I think we were super fired up after losing. We wanted to prove that we were better than a 3-0 loss, so we were super fired up and ready to go. It was awesome for us."
SEIZING THE OPPORTUNITY
Although she is just a sophomore, Kemp has valuable SEC experience from a year ago. She started seven of the last 10 matches for the Rebels in 2019 and has already seen significant playing time through the first two games of the season.
"After starting and playing a lot, it helped boost my confidence, and I think that was something that I needed to work on and has really helped us this fall," said Kemp.
Kemp earned her first start of the season in last weekend's victory. The Germantown, Tennessee, native is part of a talented midfield group and is making the most of her opportunity.
"Jenna started against LSU and did a great job for us in midfield," said Mott. "She's very technical, she's a great athlete and just flies around the field and is very, very good with the ball. She has a really deadly right foot, and then she's a competitor, she wants to win and there's no doubt about it … She's just a player you love to have on your team because she's going to work and push players and when she gets a chance she's going to do really well. I'm expecting a big sophomore year from her, and she started out in a really good rate at this point."
TRUE DEFENDER
Chanel Thomas is one of the senior leaders for the Rebels both on and off the pitch. She made her first start of the season last weekend, playing all 90 minutes in the shutout victory.
"Coco, she's an all-timer," said Mott. "She's one of the best student athletes we've ever had. She's won the Taylor Medal here, she's going to go off to law school, she's trying to get into Harvard. To me she's a pro, she's done everything you've asked her to do. You know, when she's playing at her top level, she's one of the best right backs we have in the league. She can get up and down the field. She had a tough to job on LSU, and I think really did a great job on one of their really dangerous players. She's been our two or three-year academic captain, and you look at our grades, and they're great and she's on it. I love her and think she's a big-time Rebel. We're trying to end this senior year for her really well because she's one of the ones that's moving on, and she's going do great things as a lawyer, there's no doubt about it."
BATTLE FOR THE MAGNOLIA CUP
Ole Miss is set to host the Bulldogs Friday at 7 p.m. CT. The Rebels are looking to retain the Magnolia Cup for the seventh straight year, the longest streak by either team in the history of the rivalry. As we inch closer to game time, there is no doubt that every player on both sides understands the importance of the rivalry.
"It's a huge rivalry, and we want to win," said Kemp. "We definitely know what's at stake."
Coaching in his 11th season at Ole Miss, Mott looks to improve his record against Mississippi State to 7-2-3 and retain the trophy. All week, he has prepared his team to go out there and play with toughness and effort.
"It's intense," said Mott. "It's a great rivalry. The players care, the fans care, everyone is really dialed in to how you do in that game … They fought us really hard last year, it was a great 1-1 game there, and then we snuck one out at the tournament against them. Fans can expect a hard, tough, aggressive game with two teams that really want to win and are putting it all out there.
"You always look forward to it. It's stressful as a coach because we want to be prepared and ready and we play for a trophy. It's one of the only regular season games you'll play for a trophy, and you want to keep that trophy. We want to keep it here in Oxford for sure."
Playing in her final Magnolia Cup game, Thomas is hoping to go out with another victory over the Bulldogs.
"Everyone understands how big the rivalry is, and if you don't, there are some issues," said Thomas. "I think it's always exciting to play and be able to compete and show that we are the best team in the state. It's obviously going to be an extremely intense game. We've spoken a lot this week about toughness and effort. We know we have the talent that we need to compete and accomplish something great this season. But in order to do that, we all need to put our maximum effort out there, have a lot of grit and make sure we do all the things we need to in order to win because it's not going to be easy. We want to make sure that we protect our field and retain the Magnolia Cup for another year."
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.
Players Mentioned
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Sunday, September 21
Sidney O'Billovich Named SEC Defensive Player of the Week
Monday, September 15
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Friday, September 12
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Thursday, September 04