Head Soccer Coach Matt Mott Receives Contract Extension

Following the historic 2015 Ole Miss soccer season, the head coach of the Rebels, Matthew Mott, received a four-year contract extension, Director of Athletics Ross Bjork announced Tuesday.

“We’re very excited to announce our continued trust in the leadership of Matthew Mott,” Bjork said. “Simply put, he has placed Ole Miss Soccer on a national level and has changed the culture of the sport on our campus and in the community. His teams have not only been successful on the field, but more importantly they are elite in the classroom. We look forward to the great future of Ole Miss Soccer under his guidance.”

In just six seasons as the leader of Ole Miss Soccer, Mott has paced the program to national recognition. Prior to his arrival as the second coach in program history ahead of the 2010 season, the Rebels had advanced to the NCAA Tournament four times. Since, Mott has carried the team into the NCAA Championships twice, most recently a record-breaking run in 2015.

The Rebels advanced to the NCAA Sweet 16 for the first time in school history and achieved their highest-ever national ranking in school history of No. 12 midway through the season. Following the campaign, the Rebels were 16th in the postseason poll, the best finish for the program in school history.

“I am so thankful to Ross and Lynnette (Johnson) for their support and the trust they’ve shown in me to continue to lead the soccer program,” Mott said. “Along with my staff, I remain committed to working hard to improve our soccer program and compete for championships while fielding a team that Rebel Nation and our fantastic supporters can be proud of. On a personal note, my family is very happy to be part of the Ole Miss family and proud to call Oxford home.”

The 2015 campaign saw Ole Miss knock off back-to-back top-10 opponents, which helped surge the team to the best ranking ever of No. 12. Following a 1-0 victory in just the second-ever home NCAA Championship match, the Rebels went on to advance past No. 7 Clemson in penalty kicks in the second round. That set up the All-SEC Sweet 16 showdown with No. 21 Texas A&M, a match that once again came down to penalty kicks, as the Rebels came up short.

Mott coached three All-SEC honorees, including CeCe Kizer, who became Ole Miss’ first SEC Freshman of the Year since 2005, along with junior Addie Forbus and Jessica Hiskey. The same trio earned NSCAA All-South Region honors. Forbus and Hiskey were also named CoSIDA Academic All-America honorees following the season, while outgoing senior Maddie Friedmann was also named a CoSIDA Academic All-District selection.

Under Mott’s guidance, the Rebels tallied nine shutouts, including the two versus No. 10 Auburn and No. 10 South Carolina. The 14 wins tied for the third-most in school history, while the seven SEC victories tied for the second-most in school history.

After being picked 10th in the SEC Preseason Poll, Mott led the program to a third-place finish in the league. A record 11,087 fans showed up in attendance at the Ole Miss Soccer Stadium throughout the season, which ranked top-25 nationally.

Under Mott, the Rebels have seen attendance soar as 12 of the top 20 crowds all-time have come in his six-year tenure — including seven of the top 10 crowds. In the 2014 season, the Rebels saw a record 1,823 fans show up to watch Ole Miss host Georgia in the inaugural regular season broadcast of a sporting event on the SEC Network, a game the Rebels played to a 1-1 draw in double overtime.

Mott’s first true senior class not only went out on a high note this season, but as a group tied for the most wins of any senior class in Ole Miss soccer history with 51 victories over a four-year span.

Off the pitch the Rebels have been just as impressive under Mott’s watch. The team was a recipient of the National Soccer Coaches Association of America Team Academic Award for the 2014-15 academic year earlier this fall. The award honors all teams with a cumulative GPA of 3.00 or higher during the 2014-15 academic year.

The Rebels received the award for the fifth straight season and the 11th time in program history. As a team, Ole Miss posted an impressive cumulative GPA of 3.71 during the 2014-15 year, which was the highest in the SEC by a substantial margin. South Carolina had the second-highest GPA in the conference with a cumulative 3.48 as a total of 11 SEC teams made the list.

Keep up with all the latest news and information on the Rebels by following Ole Miss Soccer on Twitter at @OleMissSoccer, on Facebook at Facebook.com/OleMissSoccer, and on Instagram at Instagram.com/officialolemisssoccer. Also follow head coach Matt Mott on Twitter at @CoachMattMott.

Courtesy of Ole Miss Athletics