The Ole Miss soccer team will honor their seniors in their final regular season home game against Texas A&M Friday at 7 p.m.
“Texas A&M is a very good team and very well coached,” Coach Matt Mott said. “Our team is in a good spot, and I think we feel good about how we are playing, but we have to be ready for them.”
In regular season last year, the Rebels pulled out a 4-3 win over the Aggies and hope for the same results in this upcoming game after coming off a 3-0 loss against Florida last Sunday.
“I think we learned a lot that game,” Mott said. “It’ll set us up for these last four games, which are massive.”
With only four regular season games left, Mott and the team are looking ahead toward the SEC Tournament in Orange Beach, Alabama, which will take place at the end of the regular season.
“We are currently eighth, and they take the top 10 teams,” Mott said. “We are kind of right on the bubble (to qualify for the SEC Tournament), so we need points. We have our last home game this Friday night against Texas A&M, which is always a very good match.”
The Aggies are right behind the Rebels for a spot in the SEC Tournament.
“They knocked us out of the NCAA Tournament last year, so that is still clear on our minds,” Mott said.
Changes have been made in the team’s structure and it will be tested in the match up against not only Texas A&M but the rest of the season.
Moving sophomore Marisa Kutchma and senior Gretchen Harknett back to midfield allowed for freshmen forwards Alley Houghton and Maddi Falter to make moves on offense. Houghton has scored twice, and Falter has scored once since the change has been made.
After taking on Texas A&M, the Rebels play on the road against Georgia, Vanderbilt and South Carolina to finish off their 2016 season.
“The SEC is such a grind and every game is tough,” Mott said. “We are battling every game are going to have to be our best on the road.”
