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The University of Mississippi Athletics
Ole Miss
Samford
Soccer Kicks Off Spring Season At Home
2/24/2021 | Soccer
Rebels Set for a Pair of Matches with Samford and Memphis
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OLE MISS (4-5-0, 4-5-0) vs. SAMFORD (0-0-1, 0-0-1) Thursday, Feb. 25 • 6 p.m. • Oxford, Miss. Ole Miss Soccer Stadium  |
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| WATCH • LIVE STATS • OLE MISS NOTES (PDF) • SEC NOTES (PDF) | ||||||||
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OLE MISS (4-5-0, 4-5-0) vs. MEMPHIS (1-0-0, 1-0-0) Sunday, Feb. 28 • 6 p.m. • Oxford, Miss. Ole Miss Soccer Stadium |
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| WATCH • LIVE STATS • OLE MISS NOTES (PDF) • SEC NOTES (PDF) | ||||||||
QUICK KICKS
• Ole Miss kicks off its spring soccer slate with a pair of home matches against Samford and Memphis. The two contests will be the first of five matches that the Rebels will play in Oxford during the spring.
• The meeting between Ole Miss and Samford will be the second ever between the two schools. The Rebels and Bulldogs last competed in Oxford on Sept. 27, 2002, with Ole Miss winning 1-0
• A pair of former Rebels, Morgan McAslan and Alyssa Frazier, play for the Bulldogs.
• The Rebels and the Tigers will renew the rivalry, with Sunday's contest being the 23rd iteration of the derby. Ole Miss leads the series 12-8-2.
• Ahead of the spring season, Channing Foster and Ashley Orkus were among the 56 athletes named to the watchlist for the 2020-21 MAC Hermann Trophy, the most prestigious individual award in college soccer.
• With the 32nd pick in the 2021 NWSL Draft, the Chicago Red Stars selected Channing Foster.
• Ole Miss returns 10 of its 11 starters after senior defender and SEC Co-Scholar Athlete of the Year Chanel Thomas graduated in December.
• In November, the SEC released its 2020 postseason awards, with Ole Miss keeper Ashley Orkus being named the unanimous choice for Goalkeeper of the Year. Orkus was also a First Team All-SEC honoree.
• Channing Foster joined Orkus on the first team, becoming just the second Rebel ever to be named All-SEC four times in a career.
• After scoring just one in its first four matches, Ole Miss tallied ten goals in the final five contests of the fall season.
• Ole Miss finished the fall regular season tied for the fifth most points in the SEC, earning 12 total with a 4-4 record. They bowed out of the SEC Tournament with a 2-1 overtime loss to LSU.
• The Rebels checked in at No. 14 in the United Soccer Coaches Poll prior to the trip to Orange Beach in November, entering the rankings for the first time since 2017. Weekly rankings have not been released for the spring.
SCOUTING SAMFORD
Heading into the spring, the Bulldogs are shooting for their seventh-straight regular-season conference title after being picked first in the 2021 SoCon Preseason Coaches' Poll. Samford also returns a quartet of preseason All-SoCon players in Forward Taylor Yount, midfielder Alyssa Frazier, defender Lexi Orman and goalkeeper Morgan McAslan.
The Bulldogs kicked their season off with a match against crosstown-rival UAB. Extra time wasn't enough to settle the game, as it ended in a 1-1 tie. Samford surrender an early goal to the Blazers in the sixth minute of the contest before settling in. Yount knotted things back up in the 48th minute off an assist from Kylie Gazza. The Bulldogs outshot UAB 18-15, putting six shots on goal. Samford keeper Morgan McAslan made three saves in the draw.
SERIES HISTORY - SAMFORD
The meeting between Ole Miss and Samford will be the second ever between the two schools. The Rebels and Bulldogs last competed in Oxford on Sept. 27, 2002, with Ole Miss winning 1-0.
LAST MEETING - SAMFORD
OXFORD, Miss. – The short list of undefeated collegiate soccer teams was reduced by one Friday as Ole Miss handed Samford its first loss of the season, 1-0, on the strength of a Kelly Renie goal. Ole Miss netted the game's lone score in the 59th minute, producing a flurry of shots in front of the net before finally punching it in by Renie for her fifth game-winner. It was the 10th goal of the season for the redshirt freshman from Carmel, Indiana.
The Rebels dominated Samford in the first half with a 7-0 shot advantage and finished the night with a 20-5 edge. Ole Miss goalkeeper Brittany Gillespie registered her fourth shutout of the year, the Rebels' fifth, and tallied a pair of saves, including a key block inside the final minute.
SCOUTING MEMPHIS
With no fall season, Memphis comes into 2021 as the favorite in the AAC Preseason Coaches Poll, receiving seven out of nine possible first place votes. The Tigers are led by All-American forward Clarissa Larisey, who has already been named to the MAC Hermann Trophy Watchlist and AAC Preseason Offensive Player of the Year.
Checking in at No. 23 in TopDrawerSoccer's most recent rankings, Memphis opened its season with a 3-0 victory over UAB, playing for the first time in nearly 450 days. A trio of Tigers scored goals in the win, and keeper Elizabeth Moberg kept a clean sheet making one save.
SERIES HISTORY - MEMPHIS
Heading into the 23rd iteration of the derby, Ole Miss holds a 12-8-2 advantage over the Tigers. The two teams last met on the pitch on Aug. 25, 2019, in Memphis with No. 20 Memphis winning 3-1. The Tigers have won the last two meetings.
LAST MEETING - MEMPHIS
OXFORD, Miss. – Heartbreak was dealt Sunday night in Memphis as Ole Miss was dealt a 3-1 loss to the rival Memphis Tigers, suffering a decisive own goal in the waning minutes at the Billy J. Murphy Soccer Complex.
Julia Phillips pushed the Rebels in front in the 22nd minute with a tap in in front of goal off a cross from Channing Foster to give Ole Miss the lead. The Tigers brought the score back level in the 31st minute. Ashley Orkus made a terrific save in front of goal from point blank range but a foul was called in the box, resulting in a penalty. Tanya Boychuk stepped up for Memphis and scored from the spot.
After the Tiger goalkeeper was served with a red card, the Rebels pushed forward in search of the winner. Instead, Ole Miss was served a brutal blow on an own goal in the 89th minute. Memphis put the final nail in the coffin, scoring on the counter in the 90th to put things away.
SPRING SOCCER ANYONE?
For the first time ever, the Rebels will compete in the spring after the SEC shortened the fall season to 8 regular-season games and the NCAA pushed back championship events to the spring. This gives Ole Miss a unique opportunity to compete in non-conference action and play for a spot in the tournament. The Rebels will play four home games in the spring in addition to two true road matches and a pair of neutral site contests. While Ole Miss will play a pair of SEC opponents in the spring, the matches will not count toward either team's league record.
AND WITH THE 32ND PICK…
For the second time in three years, an Ole Miss Rebel heard her name called during the National Women's Soccer League College Draft, with senior Channing Foster being selected with the 32nd overall pick by the Chicago Red Stars. Despite the opportunity to enter the professional ranks, Foster intends to return to Ole Miss for a fifth season of eligibility in the fall of 2021 and will suit up for the Rebels this spring. The Murray, Kentucky, native is a familiar face to the Red Stars organization, having played for the club's Women's Premier Soccer League affiliate, helping lead the Chicago Red Stars Reserves to a WPSL Central Region Championship. The Reds Stars have also been on the wrong end of the senior's lethal left foot, with Foster scoring a stoppage time winner for the U-23 USWNT over Chicago in the 2019 Thorns Spring Invitational.
BEST OF THE BEST
Ole Miss' Channing Foster and Ashley Orkus are among 56 athletes have been named to the 2020-21 MAC Hermann Trophy Watch List. The MAC Hermann Trophy is the most prestigious individual award in college soccer and is presented annually to the most outstanding male and female players of the year. The duo become the first Rebels to be named to the coveted watch list since CeCe Kizer in 2018. Ole Miss is one of six SEC schools with at least one player named to the watch list and one of three with multiple honorees, joining Arkansas and Texas A&M.
MOTT BOLSTERS DEFENSE WITH TRANSFER SYDNEY ASH
Matt Mott went out and added another key defender in Virginia Tech transfer Sydney Ash this January. A product of Riverside High School and FC Virginia DA, Ash brings two years of collegiate experience with her. Ash appeared in five matches for Virginia Tech as a freshman in 2019, playing a total of 134 minutes before her rookie campaign was cut short due to injury. She also missed the first four matches of the 2020 season before ultimately making eight appearances with seven starts on the back line. In addition to helping guide the Hokies to a pair of clean sheets, Ash also contributed to the offense with her first collegiate assist against Miami. Despite registering a 5-8 record overall, the Hokies posted a 5-3 mark with Ash on the pitch. The sophomore will be eligible to compete for Ole Miss during the fall 2021 season.
SOCCER INKS EIGHT TO CLASS OF 2021
The Rebel coaching staff scoured the entirety of the south to bring in some of the nation's top talent, plucking the seven soon-to-be rookies from six different states. Adding to an Ole Miss roster that features standout performers from all around the country, Mott and his staff dipped into the talent pool in Alabama, Georgia, Kentucky, Mississippi, North Carolina and Tennessee to continue to build the roster's depth.
Mott signed defender Kaitlin Maynard, a pair of midfielders in Ellie McIntyre and Lauren Montgomery and a trio of forwards, Amber Fortenberry, Maddie Bishop and Whitaker Buchanan. He also went out and added Canadian goalkeeper Alyssa Zalac to the signing class in late January.
Rounding out the 2021 class is Shea O'Malley from Cary, North Carolina. The defender was ranked as the No. 25 recruit in the nation by TopDrawerSoccer and was called up to the United States U17 Women's National Team. O'Malley graduated high school early and is on campus training with the Rebels. She isn't eligible to play during the spring season but will be on the pitch in the fall.
IMMEDIATE IMPACT
A trio of freshmen made an immediate impact on the pitch for the Rebels in the fall. Defenders Lucy Green and Price Loposer were thrown into the mix along with forward Ramsey Davis. The freshmen trio appeared in a combined 24 matches and logged 1,546 minutes. Green saw action in all nine games, starting seven of them. The Meridian, Mississippi, native also helped set up the game-tying goal in the 2-1 victory at No. 13 Vanderbilt. Loposer is another Mississippi product who came up big for the Rebels, starting the final five contests. Davis rounds out the group of star-studded freshmen. She played in all nine matches in the fall, earning five starts. Davis also scored her first collegiate goal at No. 13 Vanderbilt, tying the match in the 86th minute.
GAS IN THE TANK
Over her first three 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 51 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, and was on the pitch for the entirety of every game during the shortened fall season.
SHOW-STOPPING SHOT STOPPER
In November, Ole Miss junior Ashley Orkus was named the SEC Goalkeeper of the Year, receiving all 13 possible votes for a unanimous selection. Additionally, the Vestavia Hills, Alabama, native was bestowed with First Team All-SEC honors, the first all-conference nod of her career. She becomes just the second Rebel keeper to ever be named all-conference and the first First Team All-SEC honoree to play between the posts at Ole Miss. Orkus finished the fall regular season ranked second in the SEC in saves with 49 and save percentage at .817. In addition to her outstanding play on the defensive side, the Rebel keeper also contributed to the offense with three assists, tied for fourth most in the league and 18th in the nation.
FOUR-PEAT'S SAKE
For the fourth time in her career, Channing Foster has been bestowed with All-SEC honors, earning first team all-conference recognition for the second-consecutive season. Foster becomes just the second player in program-history to receive all-league laurels for a fourth time, joining Rebel great Danielle Johnson. Foster, the SEC's active leading goal scorer, ranked tied for sixth in the league during the regular season with three goals. The Murray, Kentucky, native saved her scoring for big moments, with all three of her goals going down as game-winners. The prolific senior's 33 career goals are the sixth most in school-history, putting Foster 15 goals behind two-time All-American CeCe Kizer's program-record.
COMEBACK KIDS
During the fall regular season, the Ole Miss Rebels have shown a penchant for late-match dramatics, scoring twice from the 84th minute and beyond in each of the last two matches of the regular season to erase deficits and turn sure defeat into a thrilling victory. Ole Miss came storming back from a 2-0 hole against No. 14 Georgia in Oxford, eventually overcoming a 3-2 deficit behind an 84th minute half-volleyed goal from Madisyn Pezzino and a sumptuous free kick from just outside the 18 from Channing Foster with just 20 ticks remaining on the clock. One week later, the Rebs were back up to their old tricks at No. 13 Vanderbilt. Facing a 1-0 Commodore lead, the Rebs turned the match on its head as freshman Ramsey Davis bagged her first career goal in the 86th minute to deadlock the score and force overtime. Less than three minutes in, Foster redirected a free kick and found the corner for the golden goal winner.
DUAL THREAT
Following a standout performance in Ole Miss' 2-1 overtime win at No. 13 Vanderbilt, Rebel goalkeeper Ashley Orkus was named to the TopDrawerSoccer Team of the Week. Orkus tied her season high with nine saves against the Commodores, one short of her career high of set in 2019. The junior also played a hand in the winning goal in overtime, earning an assist on Channing Foster's match-winner. For her efforts, Foster also earned a spot in the honorable mention section.
SUPER SUB
Needing just 36 minutes to provide an impact in Ole Miss' 4-3 victory over No. 14 Georgia, senior forward Madisyn Pezzino was recognized for her two-goal performance against the Bulldogs, being named the SEC's Offensive Player of the Week. Pezzino twice provided heroics to bring the Rebs back from behind in the match, scoring once in each half to bring the score level. The New York natives first score came in the 36th minute, helping Ole Miss enter halftime level after falling behind 2-0 early. Then, not more than a minute after hitting the crossbar, Pezzino buried a chance in the 84th minute to deadlock the score at 3-3, setting up for Ole Miss' dramatic late-game winner. Pezzino is the first Rebel to receive a weekly award from the SEC since Ashley Orkus was named the Defensive Player of the Week in 2019. Pezzino was also named to the TopDrawerSoccer.com Honorable Mention Team of the Week.
HELLO FROM THE OTHER SIDE
Prior to October 31, no goalkeeper in the history of the Southeastern Conference had ever posted two assists in a single match. That changed during Ole Miss' 4-3 win over Georgia, with Ashley Orkus crossing the midfield stripe twice to serve in free kicks, both times combining with Molly Martin to result directly in Rebel goals. Orkus wasn't done there, the following week at Vanderbilt, Orkus again delivered a crucial assist from a free kick, teaming up with Martin once again to setup Channing Foster's golden goal in overtime. The three assists are good for a tie, along with Martin, for fourth most in the SEC and 18th in the nation.
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.
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.
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.
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.
REWRITING THE RECORD BOOKS
With three more goals during the shortened 2020 fall season, Channing Foster continued her ascent into the Rebel record books. After cracking the top-10 on Ole Miss' all-time scoring list in 2019, Foster moved into sixth place with 33 career goals, passing Rebel legends Jennifer Soileau, Regan Scanlon and Addie Forbus. With nine games this spring and the opportunity to return for a fifth season next fall, Foster is 15 goals behind former teammate CeCe Kizer as the most prolific Rebel in history.
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. After the NWSL season and a loan spell with Norwegian Toppserien club Kolbotn IL, Kizer was selected by the upstart Racing Louisville FC in the 2020 NWSL Expansion Draft, joining the likes of USWNT standouts Tobin Heath and Christen Press.
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".
