.png&width=32&height=32&type=webp)
The University of Mississippi Athletics
Ole Miss
Arkansas
Soccer Rebs Return Home for Showdown with No. 7 Arkansas
10/24/2020 | Soccer
Rebels and Razorbacks to do Battle on the SEC Network
 |
OLE MISS (2-3-0, 2-3-0) vs. NO. 7 ARKANSAS (4-1-0, 4-1-0) Sunday, Oct. 25 • 3 p.m. • Oxford, Miss. Ole Miss Soccer Stadium  |
 |
||||||
| WATCH • LIVE STATS • OLE MISS NOTES (PDF) • ARKANSAS NOTES (PDF) • SEC NOTES (PDF) | ||||||||
QUICK KICKS
• Ole Miss is coming off of its second win of the 2020 season, upending Alabama 2-0 in Tuscaloosa on Sunday.
• Channing Foster scored her first goal of the season in the match, with the Rebels adding a second tally on an own goal in the second half.
• Ashley Orkus was once again in fine form between the posts, making three saves, including a crucial late stop, to keep her second clean sheet of the season. Orkus is the first keeper in 2020 to hold the Crimson Tide off of the board.
• Orkus ranks third in the SEC and 18th in the nation with 28 saves on the year. Since the start of last season, no keeper in the league has made more stops and Orkus' 118 saves.
• Sunday's match will be the fourth national television game of the season for Ole Miss and the third time the Rebels have played on the SEC Network in 2020.
• Ole Miss and Arkansas have split the last three meetings in Oxford at 1-1-1. The Rebels are 7-3-2 all-time at home when playing the Razorbacks.
• Sunday's match will feature the SEC's top-two scoring trios. Razorback attackers Kayla McKeon, Parker Goins and Taylor Malham have tallied 68 goals in their collegiate careers, while Ole Miss' Channing Foster, Haleigh Stackpole and Molly Martin have bagged 48 goals.
• Arkansas currently leads the SEC West with a 3-0-0 divisional record, while Ole Miss sits in third in the division with a 2-3-0 record in the West.
• The Razorbacks, ranked No. 7 in the United Soccer Coaches Poll, will be Ole Miss' first ranked opponent of the 2020 season.
SCOUTING ARKANSAS
Arkansas is in its 9th season under head coach Colby Hale, who took over the Razorback program prior to the 2012 season. In the 17 years before Hale assumed the head roll in Fayetteville, the Razorbacks had never been to the NCAA Tournament. Since then, Arkansas has made six trips to the "Big Dance." Hale's Hogs are coming off the best season in program-history, claiming Arkansas's first-ever SEC Championship in 2019. For his efforts, Hale was named the SEC Coach of the Year.
The Razorbacks are off to another strong start in 2020, entering Sunday's matchup with a 4-1-0 record, including 3-0-0 in SEC West competition to man the top spot in the division. However, Arkansas is coming off of its first loss of the season, falling 2-1 in extra time to South Carolina at home last Friday.
The Razorbacks boast a potent scoring trio of Kayla McKeon, Parker Goins and Taylor Malham, who make up the SEC's top active scoring trio with 68 career tallies. However, since the start of last season no player in the SEC has scored more than Arkansas sophomore Anna Podojil. After racking up 14 goals in 2019 on the way to SEC Freshman of the Year and United Soccer Coaches Third Team All-America honors, Podojil is currently tied for the league lead with three goals this season.
In a slightly unconventional manner, Arkansas utilizes a platoon between the posts, with both senior Taylor Beitz and junior Alexis Bach seeing nearly identical time in all matches. In the previous five outings, Bach has gotten the start in goal, allowing three goals with seven saves for a 1.20 goals-against-average, while Beitz has come on after halftime to post two goals allowed with eight saves for a 0.80 GAA.
SERIES HISTORY - ARKANSAS
Ole Miss holds a fairly commanding 17-9-2 lead in the all-time series with Arkansas, though that advantage was mostly built up in the early years for both programs. After the Razorbacks claimed the first two meetings, Ole Miss rattled off 11-straight wins from 1997 to 2007. In fact, the Razorbacks only won four of the first 21 meetings with the Rebels. However, since then the series has evened out, with Arkansas holding a 5-3 lead in the last eight meetings, including three-consecutive wins.
LAST MEETING - ARKANSAS (11/5/19)
ORANGE BEACH, Ala. - Ole Miss fought until the bitter end but just couldn't find an equalizer after a first half goal from then-No. 6 Arkansas, falling to the Razorbacks in the quarterfinals of the SEC Tournament.
The Rebels very nearly took the lead in the 16th minute, when a turnover in the defensive third by Arkansas allowed Haleigh Stackpole to dart into the 18 and lay off to Gabby Little. Little struck through the ball well but couldn't get her shot around Razorback keeper Katie Lund's diving save.
A few minutes later, Ole Miss found itself behind as Madison Smith was called for handling on an attempted sliding block, with Taylor Malham converting from the penalty spot.
The Rebels kept up the press in an attempt to equalize before the half ran out but were unable to do so, hitting halftime trailing by a goal.
In the 56th minute, Little nearly found Channing Foster deep inside the 18 yard box but the Rebel striker was just beaten to the ball by Lund, who slid in to collect.
Little once again had a look to equalize with just over nine minutes to play as Ole Miss broke on the counter off of an Arkansas corner. However, Lund was again up to the task to deny.
The Rebs continued to give it everything they had but just couldn't find a way, bowing out in the quarterfinal round.
ROSTER CONNECTIONS
The Rebels and Razorbacks share just one roster connection. Darby Douglas, a redshirt-freshman goalkeeper for Arkansas, was a high school teammate of Ole Miss freshman defender Price Loposer at Jackson Preparatory School in Flowood, Miss. Both Douglas and Loposer hail from Madison, Miss.
LAST TIME IN OXFORD
While Ole Miss has been bested by Arkansas in each of the last three meetings, the Rebels came out on the victorious side the last time the Razorbacks visited Oxford. Ole Miss got off to a hot start and after a pair of early chances for Sydney Michalak were turned away in front of goal, then-freshman Lonnie Mulligan scored a dandy for her first-career goal, a rocket from just outside the box that ricocheted twice off of the crossbar before going into the net. Not long after the start of the second half, Channing Foster buried a feed from CeCe Kizer to double the advantage. Arkansas pulled one back in the 82nd minute on a Kayla McKeon half volley but Kizer put the match away a couple of minutes later, powering a shot past the keeper from short distance in the 84th.
BRICK WALL
Since taking over as the starting goalkeeper for Ole Miss since the start of last season, no player in the Southeastern Conference has made more stops than junior Ashley Orkus. The Vestavia Hills, Alabama, native ranked second in the SEC with 90 saves in 2019 and currently sits at No. 3 in the conference in 2020 having tallied 28 stops on the year. With 118 saves in 25 matches, Orkus is averaging just under five parries a match. At 5.60 stops per match in 2020, Orkus ranks 10th in the nation and third in the SEC.
TIDE TURNED
Coming off of back-to-back losses, Ole Miss responded in a major way at Alabama, scoring in the early minutes of each half to take home a 2-0 victory from Tuscaloosa. The Rebels got on the board in the 10th minute from a long throw delivery from Taylor Radecki, with Channing Foster heading home her first goal of the season. The Rebs added a second early on in the second half as Mo O'Connor's shot from distance was deflected off of a Crimson Tide defender and into the goal. Alabama made a late push to draw closer but an excellent diving save from Ashley Orkus in the 84th minute denied the Crimson Tide, locking up Orkus' second clean sheet of the season.
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 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 48 career goals among them, behind only Arkansas. This is in part thanks to the prolific scoring career of Foster, who sits as the SEC's leading active scorer with 31 goals in her three plus 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 entered the 2020 season 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 finance 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
Following Sunday's affair, Ole Miss remains in Oxford the following week, taking on No. 15 Georgia on Saturday, Oct. 31 at the Ole Miss Soccer Stadium. It will be Senior Day for Ole Miss senior defender Chanel Thomas.
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.
