The University of Mississippi Athletics
Matt Mott Weekly Press Conference
10/4/2021 | Soccer
Ole Miss Head Soccer Coach Recaps Florida, Previews South Carolina and Texas A&M
Ole Miss Soccer Head Coachย Matt Mottย met with members of the media on Monday as part of his weekly press conference. Coach Mott recapped this past week's winย at Floridaย before previewing this week's matches against South Carolina and Texas A&M
Opening Statementโฆ
"We're 8-2-2 with a big win yesterday at Florida, where we won 1-0 in a good, tight game. When you get in these SEC games you want your best players to play well and our two All-Americans did that. Channing Foster scored a great goal off assists from Haleigh Stackpole and Mo O'Connor, which was a really good transition, counter-attack goal for us. Ashley Orkus put in a clean sheet with no goals and she was excellent in the game. This SEC season we've had really good performances from all of our guys. Molly Martin has been dominant in every single game. Stackpole has been great. The guys in the back like Sydney Michalak, some of our older players are really stepping up in this SEC season. We're 3-1-0 in SEC play with a couple of huge games this week. We're home on Thursday night against South Carolina. We'd love a big crowd. They're nationally ranked and a very good team. They're 4-0 in the league, so they'll be a tough challenge for us. They're very tough defensively. And then we head to College Station to play Texas A&M on Sunday. That will be another big task for us but I like where our team is. They're playing really hard and I'm excited about these next few games we have coming up this week. Would love Rebel Nation to come out strong on Thursday.
On being ranked No. 5 in the NCAA RPIโฆ
ย "We've had a great non-conference. When you look at the RPI we're in the top two or three in strength of schedule overall as a team. So that's a huge plus for us. The non-conference schedule is really important. The SEC schedule is always going to be tough and it's always going to elevate the RPI. If you win in the SEC, your RPI is going to go up but we had such a good non-conference schedule and those teams we played in the non-conference are doing well, so that's helping to elevate our RPI. It's never been that high. It's pretty exciting that we're there but it's really important that we're there at the end of the year when the NCAA Tournament rolls around. I'm on the NCAA committee, so I know how important that stuff is. At this point we're in a really good spot from that stand point."
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On the effect of crowds being back in the standsโฆย
"It's awesome. Our game against LSU last Thursday was just awesome. It was packed, it was loud, the frats were out. It's such a difference maker. Really everywhere we go, the crowds have been great in the SEC, they're really loud. It's back to being really fun to play in that environment and the players really feed off of it. When we go to College Station on Sunday they'll have three to five thousand people in there going crazy. One of the things I tell the team all the time is there's nothing better than silencing a five thousand person crowd with a goal. It's great to have them back, absolutely."
On the evolution of Mo O'Connor's gameโฆย
"She's one of the leaders in the SEC in goals. She just works so hard. Her ability to make it difficult for the other team when they have the ball because she'll pressure so muchย is really good. She's getting better technically, her finishing is getting better. She's scored some really good goals for us, some really important goals. We just love her. She's a hard working player that is just getting better and better."
On Channing Foster's impact on the programโฆย
"In a soccer career you're going to play 20 games a year, somewhere around there. So, she's played 80-plus games with 40 goals. That's a goal every other game, that's pretty awesome. Her ability, her work rate, what she means to our team is huge. Our players understand it and she understands it. That was a class goal yesterday. She got into a great spot and it was a great finish. That's kind of what we've come to expect from her but it's hard to do, it's hard to score. She's just a prolific goal scorer and I think she'll be really good at the next level. We're so happy that she's here with us and having a really good senior year. Her stats aren't as high as they normally are but that's because she gets so much attention. When we played Arkansas they man marked her every second of the game and that's what teams are trying to do to slow her down."
On if he's noticed an increase in the caliber of recruits in recent yearsโฆย
"Absolutely, we're doing really well in recruiting is all I can say. It's going really well. We're getting attention from players in parts of the country that we never have before. We have guys from all over the country and some international players that we're looking at. It's been really good, I think our brand is getting better and better. Obviously, staying high in the RPI and rankings is important. Overall, we're super happy with where recruiting is and the attention that we're getting."
On the fan base of SEC soccer growingโฆย
"It's unbelievable how SEC soccer has grown. Arkansas on Sunday, it's was hot and it was packed. And their Thursday night environment is unbelievable at Arkansas. And you look everywhere, Auburn is setting records, South Carolina is setting records. Everywhere in this league the crowds are coming out and it's great. Part of it is the quality of the soccer is getting better. We're getting better players and always battling with the ACC for the best. Our stadiums are improving, the gameday atmosphere is improving, so all those things are helping with the crowds."
On Marnie Merritt's return to Oxfordโฆย
"She's doing great as one of the assistants at South Carolina. We love that she's coming back. She's a Rebel every day other than probably Thursday night. We're very happy to see Marnie and so happy that she's doing so well at South Carolina."
Keep up with all the latest news and information on the Rebels by following Ole Miss Soccer on Twitter atย @OleMissSoccer, on Facebook atย Facebook.com/OleMissSoccer, and on Instagram atย Instagram.com/officialolemisssoccer. Also follow head coachย Matt Mottย on Twitter atย @CoachMattMott.
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