.png&width=32&height=32&type=webp)
The University of Mississippi Athletics
Ole Miss
Auburn
No. 13 Soccer Hits the Road for Sunday Afternoon Match at Auburn
9/24/2022 | Soccer
Rebels Look to Win Three Straight SEC Games
 |
NO. 13 OLE MISS (8-0-2, 2-0-0 SEC) vs. Auburn (4-2-4, 0-2-0 SEC) Sunday, Sept. 25 • 3 p.m. CT • Auburn, Ala. Auburn Soccer Complex  |
 |
||||||
| WATCH • LIVE STATS OLE MISS NOTES (PDF) • AUBURN (PDF) • SEC NOTES (PDF) |
||||||||
QUICK KICKS
• Ole Miss shutout Florida, 1-0, to stay undefeated and at the top of the SEC standings.
• Ole Miss' 8-0-2 record to begin the season is the best ten games start in school history, according to win percentage.
• The Rebels won their first two SEC games of the season for the first time since 2000.
• The Rebels head back on the road to Auburn on Sunday for a 3 p.m. kickoff.
• The Rebels have the slight edge on Auburn, holding a 13-12-4 record against them.
• Ole Miss went 6-3-1 in SEC games in 2021 which was the best since its 2018 campaign.
• Taylor Radecki's eight assists set a career season high and her 0.80 assists per game is top-10 in the nation.
• Senior Ashley Orkus tallied her seventh shutout in the 1-0 win over Florida. The seven shutouts is tied for the most in her career.
• Ole Miss ranks third in the nation and first in the SEC in corner kicks per game, averaging 8.10 corners.
• Ole Miss climbed two spots to 13th in the latest United Soccer Coaches Poll. The Rebels moved up six spots to 9th on TopDrawerSoccer.com.
SCOUTING AUBURN
In her 30th season coaching and her 24th season with Auburn, Karen Hoppa looking to continue the program's success. Hoppa has led the Tigers to 17 NCAA appearances, seven SEC West Titles and one SEC title while compiling a 270-177-49 record. She is the second-longest tenured coach in the SEC.
The Tigers are currently 4-2-4, including a 1-1 tie with No. 2 Florida State. Auburn started SEC play with two road losses against Missouri and No. 20 Arkansas. The schedule doesn't get easier as Auburn hosts No. 13 Ole Miss and Vanderbilt in the next week.
Auburn has plenty of depth on the offensive side as they have 12 different players with at least one goal and four with multiple. Midfielder Maddie Simpson leads the Tigers with three goals, including a goal to tie Samford. Forward Anna Haddock plays the most minutes on offense while scoring twice and tallying five assists. Haddock takes almost double the amount of shots of the next highest on the team.
The Tigers' keeper Maddie Prohaska started 10 games while saving 33 shots. Prohaska has compiled five shutouts and a 0.868 save percentage on the season, which is fifth best in the SEC. The defense has help the keeper allow just five goals and 9.4 shots per game.
SERIES HISTORY
Ole Miss has the slight edge over Auburn in the all-time series, holding a 13-12-4 record. When the teams met up last season, the Rebels tied No. 19 Auburn, 2-2. Ole Miss is 4-1-2 in the last seven matchups, dating back to 2013.
PREVIOUS GAME (9/3/17)
OXFORD, Miss. – Haleigh Stackpole scored a late equalizer Sunday afternoon at the Ole Miss Soccer Stadium, securing a 2-2 draw for Ole Miss (11-3-3, 6-2-1 SEC) against No. 19 Auburn (11-4-1, 5-3-1 SEC) to earn a point and keep pace in the SEC table.
Prior to the day's action, Ole Miss honored its four-member senior class as Channing Foster, Sophie Dineen, Madisyn Pezzino and Molly Martin played their finals regular season match in Oxford.
Proceedings in the opening half were about as even as possible, with both sides scoring in quick succession for a 1-1 score at the break.
Martin briefly gave the Rebels the lead in the 34th minute, collecting Stella Downing's pass, creating a small window of space and sending a left-footed rocket into the back of the net from the top of the 18-yard box. However, Auburn's Anna Haddock quickly responded in the 38th minute with her own long range strike to level the score at a goal apiece.
The Tigers quickly grabbed the lead after play was resumed for the second half, with Sydney Richards sneaking a header inside the far post in the 47th minute off of Olivia Candelino's cross from the right wing.
The Rebels responded to going behind well, pushing hard for an equalizer and in the 81st minute, Stackpole finally broke through to deadlock the score. Mo O'Connor used some quick feet to beat a defender on the right flank and whipped in a dangerous cross to the far post. The Tiger back line wasn't able to deal with it, knocking the ball back to the top of the box and Stackpole hit it first time with her left, going low to beat the keeper to the corner of the goal.
With nothing to separate the sides after the full 90 minutes, the match extended into extra time. Channing Foster had a couple of great golden goal looks in the second overtime period but was denied by Auburn's Maddie Prohaska both times as the Rebels and Tigers shared the points.
TRANSFER SUCCESS
The Rebels signed six transfers during the offseason, which is the second most in the SEC. Four start for Ole Miss, which is second-most in the SEC and tied fourth in the nation. Three of the six have started all 10 games of the season and four of the six have scored at least one goal. Marykate McGuire leads the way with five goals along with four assists.
MAKING HISTORY
In the third installment of the United Soccer Coaches Poll, the Rebels ranked No. 9, the highest ranking in program history. The ranking followed a pair of Ole Miss wins over LA Tech and a UCF team who are receiving votes. The team currently ranks 13th in the United Soccer Coaches Poll and 9th on TopDrawerSoccer.com.
The Rebels continue to break program records. Ole Miss' 8-0-2 record is the best start by win percentage in school history. The record is tied for the best in the SEC and fifth in the nation. Ashley Orkus also tied Marnie Merritt for second most goalkeeper wins at 40 and saves at 277.
SPREADING THE LOVE
Thirteen different Rebels registered a goal this season, which is the most goal scorers since the 2018 season when the Ole Miss had 14 players score a goal. Five players have multiple goals this season.
The 13 goal scorers include 10 players netting their first goals as a Rebel and seven players with their first career goal. Ashley Orkus and Kayla Chatman-Haggety tallied their first career goals and as Rebels in a 2-1 win over Kentucky.
BOTH SIDES OF THE PITCH
Ashley Orkus not only saved four shots from going in the 2-1 win over Kentucky, she also scored her first career goal. Orkus' free kick from midfield went through the Kentucky keeper's hands and into the net. She is the first keeper to score for Ole Miss since Kelly McCormick converted a penalty kick against Iowa State in 2014.
Orkus is first in the conference in both minutes played and save percentage. She is second in the SEC with a 0.30 goals-against average.
NO FLY ZONE
Opposing teams have managed three goals against Ole Miss' defense through 10 games due large in part to the seven clean sheets. The programs fewest goals allowed in a season was 13 in 2005 when the team went 13-6-2. Just two years ago, Ole Miss allowed the third lowest goals with 18.
If the Rebels stay on this pace, they could break the 13 goals allowed in a season mark.
CHEMISTRY
Taylor Radecki and Mo O'Connor have connected for three goals this year, including game winners against UCF and Florida. O'Connor tied the team lead in goals with five and Radecki set a new season high eight assists on Thursday's 1-0 victory over Florida
SYD VICIOUS
Picking a ball off near midfield, 6th-year senior defender Sydney Michalak made a dazzling run before firing into the back of the net for Ole Miss' second goal against Memphis. It was Michalak's first goal since her collegiate debut in 2018, still playing as a forward at that time. The Rebel left back also helped Ole Miss lock up a pair of clean sheets during the week. For her efforts, Michalak was named to the TopDrawerSoccer.com Team of the Week.
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.
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 18 career goals, nine 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.
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
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.
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
T2. Marnie Merritt (2014-18) 277
T2. Ashley Orkus (2018-pres.) - 277
4. Melinda Smith (1998-2001) 232
GOALKEEPER WINS
1. Kelly McCormick (2011-2014) - 42
T2. Marnie Merritt (2014-18) - 40
T2. Ashley Orkus (2018-pres.) - 40
4. Brittany Gillespie (2000-03) - 32
SHUTOUTS
1. Ashley Orkus (2018-pres.) - 25
Kelly McCormick (2011-2014) - 22
Brittany Gillespie (2000-03) - 22
4. Marnie Merritt (2014-18) - 21
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.
Orkus was also selected to the MAC Hermann Trophy Watch List for the third consecutive year. The senior was the only goalkeeper among the group of 15 players named a semifinalist for the 2021 edition of college soccer's top individual honor.
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.
