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The University of Mississippi Athletics
Matt Mott Weekly Press Conference
10/25/2021 | Soccer
Ole Miss Head Soccer Coach Recaps Missouri and Auburn, Previews Mississippi State
Ole Miss Soccer Head Coach Matt Mott met with members of the media on Monday as part of his weekly press conference. Coach Mott recapped this past week's matches against Missouri and Auburn before previewing Thursday's Magnolia Cup battle with Mississippi State.
Opening Statement:
"Double game weekend for us. We started at Missouri on Thursday night. Really, a tough game for us. I don't think we were at our best. Unfortunately, we lost 2-1. Missouri came out and got a goal really early, which kind of rattled us a little bit. I don't think we were great in the first half, so we went in at halftime and made some adjustments. I thought we came out excited for that second half, and then a few minutes in, they got another one, so we went down 2-0. We were able to battle back. Molly Martin scored a great goal off a cross from Ramsey Davis to get it 2-1, and we just couldn't find the equalizer."
"So, we came back home. Yesterday was Senior Day with four amazing seniors in Sophie Dineen, Madisyn Pezzino, Molly Martin and Channing Foster, recognizing them on their great careers. We played a really good Auburn team. At the start of the day, Auburn was 13 in the RPI, we were 10, so it was a big RPI game. We were 13th in the country, they were 19th, so it was a Top-25 matchup. It lived up to it. It was a great game. If you look at the last three years we beat them in overtime, last year, they beat us in overtime and now we've drawn. Really not much to pick between the two teams, just a really hard-fought match. We went up first. Molly Martin with a really nice left-footed strike, and then they equalized. In the second half, they went up early, and we battled back, and Haleigh Stackpole scored a great goal with her left foot to tie it at 2-2, and then we battled in two overtimes. We had a couple good looks at it to win it at the end, but you could also say Auburn had a couple good looks as well. Probably a fair result, and it gets us another point in the league and locks us into the top six. I think we're going to be somewhere in the three or four range when it's all said and done. Arkansas has won the league outright and will be the No. 1 seed in the west, and the east side is still being decided this week."
"Now we turn our attention to Mississippi State, which is the biggest game of the season for us. We're playing for the Magnolia Cup and the last game of the season. They're fighting to get to The Beach, so they have a ton to play for as do we, as we are trying to ensure our spot in the NCAA Tournament and get that No. 3 seed down at The Beach. Certainly, a ton to play for, not to mention the Magnolia Cup that is currently down there in Starkville, and we'd like to bring it back here to Oxford."
On Ole Miss' NCAA Tournament resume…
"It's hard to say because you never want to say you're in. But our RPI is 10, we have good top-50 wins and a top-25 draw with Auburn. We have really no bad losses and currently have one of the top-10 strengths of schedule. So, we look pretty solid I think to the committee. Now we certainly don't want to go 0-2 in our last two games as we play State and our first round at The Beach, but I feel good about where the team is and what they've done all season to get us to this point."
On potentially earning a nation seed in the NCAA Tournament…
"Again, we have a top-10 RPI, and they seed 16, so we're certainly going to be in the conversation. You know the top-32 teams host in the first round, and that's a big motivation because we want to get another game at home for these seniors. We want to play in front of our fans. Our fans have been unbelievable all year. We had a packed house again last night. The drumline has been phenomenal. We've been really lucky to play at home, and it's been a great home-field advantage. We went undefeated in SEC play at home, which I'm not sure how many times we've done it or if we've ever done it. But, 4-0-1 is really good for SEC play, and it's because of our fans and playing at home."
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.
