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The University of Mississippi Athletics
Ole Miss
Memphis
Derby Day on Tap as Soccer Faces Memphis Sunday
8/20/2022 | Soccer
Top-25 Matchup to be Played Under the Lights in Oxford
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NO. 18 OLE MISS (1-0-0, 0-0-0 SEC) vs. NO. 22 MEMPHIS (1-0-0, 0-0-0 American) Sunday, Aug. 21 • 7 p.m. CT • Oxford, Miss. Ole Miss Soccer Stadium  |
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| WATCH • LIVE STATS • OLE MISS NOTES (PDF) | ||||||||
QUICK KICKS
• Ole Miss continues the start of the 2022 season with the annual derby matchup with Memphis.
• Sunday's matchup will be the 25th all-time between Ole Miss and Memphis, making the Tigers the Rebels' most-frequent opponent outside of the SEC.
• The 24 previous meetings are also equal to or more than four SEC opponents in Kentucky, Missouri, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas A&M and Vanderbilt.
• Ole Miss opened the 2022 season on Thursday with a 5-0 victory over Southeastern in Oxford. The five goals were the most for the Rebels since the 2019 season and the most in a season opener since scoring six against Louisiana in 2018.
• The five goals are also tied with LSU for the most scored by an SEC team.
• Four of the five goals were scored off of set pieces, three from corner kicks and one off of a free kick.
• Taylor Radecki assisted on all three corner kick goals, giving the senior the SEC lead.
• Mo O'Connor scored the 14th goal of her career, adding two assists. The four points for O'Connor are tied with LSU's Taylor Dobles for most in the SEC.
• Prior to Thursday's match, Rebel keeper Ashley Orkus was named to the MAC Hermann Trophy Watch List for the third consecutive season.
SCOUTING MEMPHIS
In his 23rd season at the helm, Brooks Monaghan has built the Memphis program into one of the very best not only at the non-Power 5 level but across the entire country. Monaghan has led the Tigers to 10 total NCAA Tournament appearances, including four straight.
Picked to win the American Athletic Conference, the 22nd-ranked Tigers are 1-0 following a commanding 6-1 win over Little Rock on Thursday. Memphis finished the 2021 season at 14-5-2, advancing to the second round of the NCAA Tournament with a victory over LSU and coming in at No. 20 in the final United Soccer Coaches Poll.
The Tigers return two of three players that tied for the team lead with six goals last season. All-American and Canadian international Tanya Boychuk returns, though the fifth-year senior did not play in the season opener due to injury. AAC All-Rookie honoree Jocelyn Alonzo also returns but sophomore transfer Aubrey Mister will line it up on the other side of the pitch as a member of the Ole Miss roster. Memphis also boasts two Preseason All-ACC honorees in senior Saorla Miller and junior Grace Stordy.
For the first time in five years, it will be someone other than Elizabeth Moberg in goal for Memphis as the Tigers' all-time leader in wins and clean sheets finished up her collegiate career in 2021. UNCW transfer Kaylie Bierman got the starting nod Thursday against Little Rock, allowing one goal.
SERIES HISTORY
Sunday's affair will be the 25th iteration of the derby between Ole Miss and Memphis. The two sides have split the last three meetings with a win, draw and defeat apiece in what has come to be a very back-and-forth fixture. Ole Miss owns a 12-9-3 advantage all-time but has dropped two of the last three meetings in Oxford.
LAST MEETING (8/22/21)
MEMPHIS, Tenn. - Facing a tough test to open the season in unfriendly territory Ole Miss battled back behind Molly Martin's second half equalizer to secure a 1-1 derby draw.
Ole Miss' best look of the opening 45 came in the 21st minute as Channing Foster brought a ball down and had a hit on the half volley from the top of the box. The senior struck it well but couldn't keep the attempt down, sailing it over the bar.
A few minutes later, Memphis struck, with Jocelyn Alonzo, cleaning up her own rebound off of an Ashley Orkus save to send the Rebels into the locker room down a goal.
It didn't take Ole Miss long to turn things around in the second half, though, with Memphis native Martin leveling the score in the 55th minute. With the ball bouncing in the box on a re-service, Foster was able to get the feintest touch, putting the ball in Martin's path. The senior took full advantage, slotting the ball past Tiger keeper Elizabeth Moberg.
With a whole new game in hand, both sides pressed on but neither could find a winner as the rivals settled for a hard fought draw.
GETTING DUSTY IN HERE
While the first goal of any season is a special one, the Rebels' opening tally of the 2022 season on Thursday came with a little extra meaning. Fourteen minutes into the match, redshirt-freshman Lauren Montgomery cleaned up a Mo O'Connor rebound and slid the ball under the keeper for her first collegiate goal, coming just over a year after tearing her ACL during the 2021 preseason and missing her true freshman campaign.
BEEN AROUND THE BLOCK
In his 13th season at the helm of the Ole Miss program, Matt Mott is the fourth-longest tenured head coach in the SEC. Mott is also the third-longest tenured head coach active at Ole Miss.
SEC's Longest Tenured Head Coaches
1. G Guerreiri (Texas A&M) - 29 seasons
2. Karen Hoppa (Auburn) - 24 seasons
3. Shelley Smith (South Carolina) - 22 seasons
4. Matt Mott (Ole Miss) - 13 seasons
5. Colby Hale (Arkansas) - 11 seasons
IT JUST MEANS MO'
When the lights shine brightest, Rebel striker Mo O'Connor steps her game up to another level. Of O'Connor's 14 career goals, eight have come against conference opposition, including five of seven goals in 2021. O'Connor's five goals in league play last season were tied for the most in the conference.
BIG SHOES TO FILL
With the departure of star players like Channing Foster, Haleigh Stackpole and Molly Martin, Ole Miss will have plenty of firepower to replace in 2022. Foster finished her career with 44 goals, tied for the second most in program history, while Stackpole's 31 career assists rank third all-time at Ole Miss, including 16 assists in 2021 alone. Meanwhile, Martin and her aerial threat led the Rebels with 10 goals a season ago. Overall, Ole Miss will need to replace 25-of-36 goals (69.4%), 23-of-44 assists (52.3%) and 73-of-116 points (62.9%) from the 2021 season.
PIECING THINGS TOGETHER
Of the 36 goals scored by Ole Miss during the 2021 season, 13 of them were scored as the result of a set piece. Of those 13 set piece goals, 10 were scored via either a corner kick or a long throw in.The trend continued in Thursday's season opener as four of the Rebels' five goals against Southeastern came off of set pieces.
G.O.A.T.
Entering her fourth season between the posts for the Rebels, goalkeeper Ashley Orkus sits near the top in the Ole Miss record books in several statistical categories. Below is a breakdown of Orkus' approach of program-records:
GOALKEEPER SAVES
1. Kelly McCormick (2011-2014) - 297
2. Marnie Merritt (2014-18) 277
3. Ashley Orkus (2018-pres.) 251
4. Melinda Smith (1998-2001) 232
GOALKEEPER WINS
1. Kelly McCormick (2011-2014) - 42
2. Marnie Merritt (2014-18) - 40
3. Ashley Orkus (2018-pres.) - 33
4. Brittany Gillespie (2000-03) - 32
SHUTOUTS
1. Kelly McCormick (2011-2014) - 22
Brittany Gillespie (2000-03) - 22
3. Marnie Merritt (2014-18) - 21
4. Ashley Orkus (2018-pres.) - 19
5. Ann Shelton (2004-07) - 18
DANCING QUEENS
Ole Miss is one of five SEC teams to receive a bid at least five of the last seven seasons (Arkansas, Auburn, South Carolina, Texas A&M) and also one of five SEC teams to make four of the last five NCAA Tournaments.
POLL POSITION
For the second consecutive year, Ole Miss is ranked in the United Soccer Coaches Preseason Poll, coming in at No. 18. The Rebels were slotted at No. 23 in the 2021 preseason poll. Prior to last season, Ole Miss had never been ranked in the preseason by the United Soccer Coaches. The Rebels are one of four SEC teams ranked in the 2022 iteration of the poll, joining Arkansas, Tennessee and South Carolina.
BEST OF THE BEST
Ole Miss keeper Ashley Orkus was named to the 2022 TopDrawerSoccer.com Preseason Best XI First Team. It is the second consecutive year that the two-time defending SEC Goalkeeper of the Year has been named to the first team. Orkus has also received postseason Best XI honors from TopDrawerSoccer the last two seasons, earning a first team nod in 2020 and landing on the third team in 2021.
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". Fans can also now follow Ole Miss on TikTok at @OleMissWSoccer.
