The Ole Miss soccer team will grace the pitch in front of fans for the first time on Friday, taking on Kennesaw State in a preseason exhibition at 6 p.m. CT at the Ole Miss Soccer Stadium.
The match will serve as a prelude to the regular season opener, set for Thursday, Aug. 18, against Southeastern in Oxford. The Rebels and Owls will play three thirty-minute periods during the scrimmage. It will be the first of 11 total matches hosted in Oxford this season.
Ole Miss is coming off of a 2021 campaign in which the Rebels finished second in the SEC West with a 6-3-1 SEC record. Ole Miss capped the season at 12-6-2 overall, hosting an NCAA Tournament match for just the third time in program-history.
The Rebels boast a mixed roster of both veteran returners and talented newcomers. The Rebels return 8-of-11 starters from the 2021 squad, including First Team All-American and two-time defending SEC goalkeeper of the year Ashley Orkus as well as returning leading goal scorer Mo O’Connor. Ole Miss brought in a deep transfer class for 2022, including former Duke star Marykate McGuire and four-year LSU starter Molly Thompson.
For the second-straight season, Ole Miss will begin the season nationally ranked, coming in at No. 18 in the United Soccer Coaches Preseason Poll. Coming in at No. 23, last season was the first time in program history that Ole Miss was ranked in the United Soccer Coaches Preseason Poll.
Courtesy of Ole Miss Athletics
