After clobbering LSU 4-0 on Sunday, the Ole Miss soccer team will finish the regular season on Thursday night, on the road against No. 17 Texas A&M.
As the Rebels turn their attention to the Aggies, head coach Matt Mott said finishing the regular season with a win in College Station would help his team bolster its spot in the SEC Tournament and qualify for the NCAA Tournament.
“We’re in a big mix of teams that have to finish out the season strong,” Mott said. “I think we need at least one more win to put us in a very good spot, but we are certainly on the bubble at this point.”
To solidify their spot in the NCAA Tournament, the Rebels would likely need to beat the Aggies or another top-25 team in the SEC Tournament. Texas A&M is currently ranked second in the SEC West with a conference record of 6-2-1, and Ole Miss follows closely behind at third with a conference record of 3-3-3. Both Ole Miss and Texas A&M will play in the SEC Tournament.
“If we could get a win at Texas A&M, that would certainly lock us in to the NCAA’s, or if we can get something at The Beach that could put us in a good spot, depending on who we play and where they stand,” Mott said.
The Rebels are coming off a 4-0 Senior Day shutout against the Tigers of LSU last Sunday. Defensively, sophomore goalkeeper Ashley Orkus was active between the posts finishing Sunday’s match with four saves. Orkus has recorded 76 total saves and 1.27 goals-against average this season.
Offensively, Channing Foster had another impressive performance on Sunday. The junior scored her ninth goal of the season with a curled shot to the corner of the net. Foster leads the Rebels in goals scored with sophomore Haleigh Stackpole and senior Julia Philips tied at second with five goals each.
With the end of the 2019 regular season drawing near, the Rebels have recorded 30 goals, attempting 17.5 shots per game with 122-298 of those shots on goal.
With an overall record of 12-3-3, the Aggie continue to be aggressive on offense. In 2018, the Aggies found the back of the net 49 times. With one final game left in the regular season, A&M is six goals away from matching last year’s total.
In 2019, Texas A&M’s offense has averaged 2.39 goals per game and 19.6 shots per game. Senior Ally Watt, junior Jimena Lopez and junior Addie McCain lead the high-powered Aggie offense in goals scored.
Between the posts, Texas A&M is starting a new face at goalkeeper in freshman Kenna Caldwell. After freshman keeper Shantel Hutton sustained an injury against Arkansas and redshirt freshman goalie Jordan Burbank had a lackluster performance against Vanderbilt, the Aggies turned to Caldwell in the 64th minute.
Caldwell made five saves without yielding a goal in her debut. Since then, the Colorado native has recorded 11 saves and has 1.40 goals-against average.
Thursday’s match between the Rebels and the Aggies will mark the 10th time both teams have played each other. A&M leads the series 5-2-2. Last year’s contest between Ole Miss and Texas A&M ended in a 1-1 tie.
The Rebels will attempt to pull off a win against the Aggies in College Station on Halloween at 6:30 p.m.
