Mott receives 4-year contract extension

Published 12:00 pm Wednesday, December 16, 2015

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.

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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.”

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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.