Ole Miss Soccer Opens Regular Season Against Louisiana

By Adam Brown
Sports Editor
adam.brown@hottytoddy.com.

Ole Miss soccer opens the 2018 regular season this evening as they play host to the Louisiana Ragin’ Cajuns. Kick is slated for 7 p.m.

The Rebels are returning 16 letter winners from a season ago while adding in a talented crop of six newcomers. Of the 11 primary starters from 2017’s NCAA Tournament team, nine are back in blue and red in 2018. Among those players is senior attacker CeCe Kizer who has received many preseason accolades heading into her final season in Oxford, including being named to the MAC Hermann Trophy Watch List and earning a spot on the Top Drawer Soccer Best XI First Team.

Coach Matt Mott’s club was picked to finish seventh in the conference in the SEC Preseason Coaches’ Poll, moving up two spots from last season’s nine-place league finish. Ole Miss has received 12 votes in the United Soccer Coaches Preseason Coaches’ Poll.

The Ragin’ Cajuns are picked to finish 10th in the 11-team Sun Belt Conference, as voted on by the league’s head coaches. Gone from Lafayette are the top-two leading scorers from 2017, Ashleigh Cade and Haley Boroch, with sophomore forward Una Einarsdottir and graduate student defender Rebecca Foley being the only two returning players with multiple goals a season ago.

Louisiana’s primary goalkeeper from 2017, Mackenzie Lee, is back for her junior season after posting 1.20 goals against her average which is a .778 save percentage.

Ole Miss and Louisiana have met five previous times on the pitch since 2012 prior to last season that was canceled by Hurricane Harvey. The Rebels are undefeated in the series, outscoring the Ragin’ Cajuns 16-2. In 2016, Ole Miss blanked Louisiana by the score of 3-0.

Fans can watch every minute of the action on the SEC Network +.