With a well constructed yet challenging 2015 fall schedule, and coming off of a winning season, the Ole Miss soccer team looks to validate the program even more this fall.
The team should have plenty of experience returning 10 starters from last year’s team. The players are currently undergoing strength and conditioning training and in July will work on skill enhancements in practices, which will be necessary to stay competitive in the tough non-conference and Southeastern Conference schedule ahead.
Head Coach Matthew Mott is the second head coach in Ole Miss history and is entering his sixth year with the program. He’s been instrumental in helping the Rebels compete at a high level in the SEC.
“(After) seven years in the SEC at Auburn, I understand what it takes to win at this level and the type of players you need to recruit to be competitive,” Mott said.
Mott spoke about his goal for the players.
“As a coach, I want them to be the best possible player they can be from an academic, strength, and overall standpoint.”
Those goals are evident academically, as the women’s soccer program is the athletic organization with the highest overall grade point average.
“(The coaches) take great pride in it and the girls take pride in it,” Mott said.
Mott said academics have been a major part of the identity of the Ole Miss soccer program and that the upperclassmen being the example for the underclassmen and creating a family atmosphere.
“Our team does a great job of being connected and always wanting to fight for each other and that’s how we become united, which is important to the growth of a program,” Mott said.
Last year’s season had a tough ending for the Rebels when they narrowly lost to Tennessee 2-3. A win or tie in this game would have put the Rebels in the postseason. Mott did see a positive in the loss, however.
“That loss to Tennessee was a growing point and it made them very hungry and motivated for the fall season, even more after a great spring season,” Mott said.
Amongst the group of players returning for this year, Mott expects the six seniors will play a significant role in the upcoming year.
“I expect Jessica Hiskey, Samantha Sanders, Maddie Friedman, Olivia Harrison, Jennifer Miller, and Bethany Bunker to carry us and they will be important in our success,” Mott said.
Mott also discussed the recently released 2015 fall schedule.
“The schedule will be challenging, but its one we can definitely handle,” Mott said.
He stressed the importance of the opener against Florida Gulf Coast, who were the 2014 A-Sun Women’s Soccer conference champions.
“I am not looking past our first one. Florida Gulf Coast is a good team, a NCAA tournament team each year and it will be a difficult game, but it will send us in a good direction,” Mott said.
Looking closer at the schedule after the Florida Gulf Coast game, it features a start-up of seven non-conference games all hosted in Oxford. The rebels then enter into SEC play, which surprisingly does not contain rival Mississippi State.
“Because Mississippi State is not on the schedule, every SEC team is a rival, but definitely non-conference (the rival) will be Memphis,” Mott said. “They are the closest and they are a team we play every year and they make great matches. Memphis is overall a good team.”
Overall, the schedule features 19 games, nine of which are against teams that played in the postseason last year, and 12 home games.
Mott also commented on the atmosphere the fans created for the games.
“This past year alarming fans with the signs of when to cheer and getting them engaged helped the home field advantage, and I really enjoyed. By the field design we have an awesome atmosphere with the stands right on the players, it makes it a very hard place for an opponent to play,” Mott said. “The more fans and students we have this year, the better the atmosphere.”
The first home game will be an exhibition game against Central Arkansas on August 14, and the regular season home opener will take place on August 23 against Boise State at 12 p.m.
