Soccer Practice Report: Sept. 18

OXFORD, Miss. – For the first time in roughly 10 months, Ole Miss soccer is ready to return to the pitch and face off against competition other than themselves on Saturday. Following several months of getting match ready, the Rebs are putting the final touches and preparations together ahead of Saturday's season opener agianst Texas A&M.

Earlier this week, head coach Matt Mott and seniors Molly Martin and Madisyn Pezzino sat down with our own Seth Austin to chat about the team's progress through fall practice and the outlook of Saturday's match.

WE'RE BACK
It's matchday. Those are two words that the Rebels have been anxiously waiting to hear for the past few months. On Saturday at 5 p.m. CT, it becomes a reality. Thus far, it's been all preseason practices and intrasquad scrimmages, and the team is buzzing to take on their first real opponent.

"I'm excited," said Pezzino. "We've only been able to play against each other, and there's only so much you can do… We're just excited to show everyone what we've been working on these past couple months. It's going to be a good game."

Coach Mott is also exhilarated with the idea of seeing his team get back out on the pitch competing.

"It's going to be pretty wild," said Mott. "Both teams are chomping at the bit to play. If you think about it, our guys haven't played a meaningful game since last November. We didn't get any spring games, so to play another opponent finally here in the middle of September, we'll be flying, no question."

VETERAN IMPACT
Five seniors return for Mott's club heading into the 2020 season. One of those seniors who has stood out is Molly Martin, who after moving around the pitch a few different times has settled in at the holding midfielder role. Last season, Martin started all 20 matches for Ole Miss, scoring three goals and recording three assists. Mott has high praise for the native Memphian as one of the team's most versatile players.

"She's that level of athlete," said Mott. "She can play anywhere. She's just a really talented athlete. She's so strong in the air, a very physical presence. She's very good with the ball too and has the ability to score. We're excited about her fourth year. I don't know if you'd call it her senior year because she's coming back next year, but her fourth year is something for us to be excited about for sure."

Pezzino is another one of the seniors that Mott is excited about. The Grand Island, New York, native appeared in all 20 fixtures last season and is ready to see her role increase.

"On the left side, she's as dangerous as they come," said Mott. "She's going to play a really important role for us all season. Her development has been fantastic… She's become just a threat, and if a ball falls to her in the box, either the keeper is making the save or it's in the back of the net."

WE OVER ME
Coming into the 2020 season, the Rebels chose the team motto 'we over me,' stressing the importance of the collective as a whole. This became the motivation for the club, especially after athletes returned home after practices were halted last spring.

"When we all got sent home, and we were all kind of apart from each other, it was really tough to stay motivated and continue to grind in our workouts," said Pezzino. "We kind of took it as, we're part of a program, and its bigger than ourselves. We want to put the team above ourselves in everything that we do and we're going to give everything that we have."

CAMP WRAPUP
The start of a new season means the conclusion of fall camp. Looking back on their progress over the summer months, many of the Rebels have improved their game and come together as a team.

"All this time together and just being around each other for these past three months, I think we've grown a lot as a team," said Pezzino. "We have a lot of new players, Marta [Estupiñán], Taylor [Radecki], just being able to be around each other, and in this environment together, I think we've grown a lot in that aspect."

After grinding day-in and day-out throughout the preseason workouts, the Rebels are ready to reap the rewards on the field.

"The team kind of hit the ground running at the beginning of preseason, and we just haven't stopped," said Martin. "It's crazy to see how fit we all are and how much we've learned to play well together. It's really exciting, heading into our first game, to see it all in action."

FRESH FACES
With all the extra practice time, many new faces have had an opportunity to stand out. The Rebels recruiting class featured five exceptional high school players who provide the foundation for the future of Ole Miss Soccer. Martin has felt the presence of the freshmen class on the pitch and is excited for fans to see them in action.

"A new face to get used to, Lucy Green, has been killing it out of the back, and Ramsey Davis is like a little spark plug up front," said Martin. "Really all of them, Price [Loposer], Sydney Ham, Abbie [Rushwin], they all came in and kind of shocked us all. The recruiting classes just keep coming in hot every single year."

GAME ONE
The Rebels kick things off on Saturday with a familiar foe in Texas A&M. Although scouting isn't really an option for the first match, Mott is very familiar with the style of play from the Aggies.

"They score goals first and foremost," said Mott. "They're so dangerous and typically athletic up front. Tons of speed. They put a lot of pressure on you. They're the best team in the league, in my opinion, on set pieces, so you have to be really prepared for them with that. Anything attacking wise, they are super dangerous. Always very strong in the back, so it's not like we're able to just run by them. We have to play and be able to create chances, and when we get our chances, we need to take them."

The game plan for the Rebels is simple: play their game. Fans can expect high energy and a great game.

"I think you can expect us to shoot out like a canon," said Martin. "To come out and be aggressive and just play our game. Try to get A&M to settle down, they're a high-pressure, aggressive team. We're going to try to control the game from the start and get them out of their mojo as quick as we can."

Pezzino also touched on the approach heading into the matchup with the Aggies, as the Rebels are excited to get back out on the field and compete.

"I think we need to come out full throttle, no holding back," said Pezzino. "Everybody's got to get stuck in tackles and not be afraid to show what we've been working on these past couple months. I think if we do that, we'll put ourselves in a good spot."

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

Ramsey Davis

Lucy Green

Sydney Ham

Molly Martin

Madisyn Pezzino

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