Ole Miss Soccer Host Alabama in the SEC Conference Opener

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

Ole Miss soccer opens its SEC Conference slate on Thursday, playing host to the Alabama Crimson Tide. The first kick is set 6 p.m. and can be viewed on SEC Network+.

Ole Miss starts conference play with a 4-1-2 overall record. The Rebels are coming off a 1-0 victory on the road at Western Kentucky on Sunday.

Head coach Matt Mott’s club is led on the pitch this season by senior Molly Martin who has five goals. Her teammate Haleigh Stackpole has eight assists through the first seven games.

Alabama comes into the match with a 4-4 record coming into Oxford.  The Crimson Tide picked up a win in their most recent match, a 2-0 home victory over UAB on Sunday. That win snapped a three-match losing streak to Samford, Memphis and TCU. Alabama is 0-2 this season on the road, losing at Florida State and Memphis.

Alabama is led offensively by Virginia transfer forward Ashlynn Serepca, who has scored three times and added an assists for seven points. Sophomore midfielder Kate Henderson is also a threat in the attacking third, posting a pair of goals and assists apiece for six points.

Two keepers have seen time between the posts for the Tide in Florida State transfer McKinley Crone and Oklahoma transfer Brooke Bollinger. In her first season in Tuscaloosa, Crone led the SEC in goalkeeper minutes last season and has played the bulk of the minutes this season, starting six matches and making eight appearances with a 1.58 goals against average and a .667 save percentage. In her first season at Alabama, Bollinger has made five appearances with two starts, garnering a 1.98 GAA and a .500 save percentage.  

This will be the 28th matchup between the two clubs on the pitch. Ole Miss leads the all-time series against Alabama with an 18-8-1 record.