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Soccer

Matt Mott
Matt Mott
Matt Mott Press Conference
Matt Mott
Matt Mott
Matt Mott, Mo O'Connor
Matt Mott
Matt Mott
Matt Mott
Matt Mott
  • Title:
    Head Coach
  • Year at Ole Miss:
    10th
  • Email:
    mmott@olemiss.edu
  • Phone:
    662-915-1524
  • Alma Mater:
    UCF (2000)

In 12 seasons as the leader of Ole Miss soccer, head coach Matt Mott has built the Rebel program into a side consistently competing for a spot at the top of the table in the fiercely competitive SEC but also a force to be reckoned with on the national stage.

Of the 10 total NCAA appearances in the history of Ole Miss soccer, six have come since Mott took the reins as the second head coach in the program's history in 2010, including three second round appearances and two trips to the Sweet 16.
 
During his tenure at Ole Miss, Mott has seen his players receive six All-American nods, 17 all-region awards, 23 All-SEC laurels, six SEC All-Freshman picks, seven Academic All-American selections and had three players drafted into the professional ranks with the NWSL. The Rebels have produced some of the best talent ever seen in Oxford under Mott, including the three top scorers in program-history in CeCe Kizer, Channing Foster and Rafaelle Souza.

Following three standout years at Ole Miss, Souza has gone on to play in several professional leagues across the globe and has represented her native country as a starter for the Brazilian National Team at both the World Cup and Olympics. Meanwhile, Kizer became Ole Miss' first-ever two-time All-American in 2017 and 2018 and is one of the bright young stars in the NWSL with Racing Louisville FC. in 2021, Foster became the SEC's first-ever five-time All-SEC honoree and will start her pro career with the Chicago Red Stars. Mott also brought in Ashley Orkus, who collected SEC Goalkeeper of the Year, First Team All-SEC and United Soccer Coaches All-America laurels in both 2020 and 2021.

The 2021 campaign saw Ole Miss put together one of the finest regular seasons in program-history, reaching as high as No. 13 in the United Soccer Coaches Poll and spending three weeks inside the top-5 of the NCAA RPI report. Ole Miss began SEC play 6-1-0, tied for the best start in program-history, and ultimately finished second in the SEC West and third in the league table overall, matching the highest-ever conference finish. The Rebs defeated No. 5 LSU for the highest ranked win ever for Ole Miss, also picking up a ranked victory over No. 19 South Carolina. In the postseason, Ole Miss knocked off Alabama in Orange Beach to advance to the SEC Tournament semifinals for the sixth time ever and first since 2013 and earned just the third host NCAA Tournament match in Oxford.

During the fall 2020 season with the college sports landscape flipped on its head, Mott's Rebels adapted and rolled with the punches. Playing an eight-match regular season featuring strictly SEC competition, the Rebels rebounded from a slow offensive input to begin the season to finish strong, ultimately garnering a 4-5-0 record to tie for sixth in the league table. The Rebs finished the regular season with a flourish, recording back-to-back ranked wins over No. 14 Georgia and No. 13 Vanderbilt. Building on the momentum, the Rebels returned in the spring and were off an running. Ole Miss swept its six non-conference matches, including a resounding 3-1 win in the derby matchup with Memphis, before making plenty of noise in the NCAA Tournament. Matching the deepest run in program-history, the Rebels advanced to the Sweet 16 with back-to-back penalty shootout wins over Bowling Green and No. 8 national seed USC before bowing out to No. 6 Duke with a 10-6-2 record for the season.
 
Ole Miss completed another successful season in 2019, finishing the year with a 10-7-3 record, including a 3-4-3 mark in league play and a 6-1-2 record at home. The Rebels qualified for the SEC Tournament for the fifth straight year. Ole Miss went on the road and retained the Magnolia Cup for a sixth-straight year, extending its record run. The Rebs also earned a 3-2 win over No. 19 Florida, the first win over the Gators since 2009. Ole Miss won the rematch with Mississippi State in the SEC Tournament First Round, the program’s first win in the conference tournament since 2013.

The 2018 Rebels experienced one of the most successful seasons in recent memory, posting a 13-8-1 overall record and finishing tied for third in the SEC with a 6-3-1 mark in league play. Among the regular season highlights were a pair of top-10 wins over No. 9 Auburn and No. 7 Vanderbilt as well as a 2-0 victory over No. 25 Mississippi State to maintain the Magnolia Cup for a record fifth-straight year. The Rebels earned a bid to the NCAA tournament in consecutive seasons for the first time in program-history, earning a 2-1 win at No. 25 Clemson before bowing out to No. 1 Stanford in the Second Round. In all, Ole Miss earned four wins over ranked opponents.

The 2017 edition of Mott's Rebel squad was one of the highest scoring teams in the nation, ranking third in the country at 2.70 goals per game. Ole Miss scored 54 goals on the season, the fourth-highest scoring season in program-history. The Rebels finished the season 10-7-3, earning a bid to the NCAA Championships for the third time in five seasons.

In 2015, the Rebels reach heights never seen before in Oxford, advancing to the NCAA Sweet 16 for the first time in school history and achieving the program’s highest-ever national ranking of No. 12 midway through the season. Following the campaign, the Rebels finished No. 16 in the postseason poll, their highest ever postseason ranking.

The 2015 campaign saw Ole Miss knock off back-to-back top-10 opponents, which helped surge the team up the polls. Following a 1-0 victory in just the second-ever home NCAA Championship match, the Rebels went on to advance past No. 7 Clemson on penalty kicks in the second round of the NCAA Championships. 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 in 2015, also a record for the program, which ranked top-25 nationally.

Just two years prior, the Rebels posted a 16-win season, marking the most wins in a single season for Ole Miss. Ole Miss also hosted its first NCAA Tournament match in school history, defeating Jackson State 9-0 in the opening-round game. For his efforts Mott was named the NSCAA South Region Coach of the Year.

In his third season at the helm of the program, Mott continued to move the program forward with a return to the SEC Tournament as Ole Miss made its first tournament appearance since 2009 and advanced to the quarterfinals with a shutout victory over LSU in the opening round. The shutout victory was one of eight for the Rebels on the season. The squad posted an 8-0 start to the season, the best in program history, and included a stretch of four consecutive shutout wins and 483 minutes of shutout soccer to also set a school record for consecutive shutout minutes by the Rebels.

Before taking over the Rebel program, Mott was the top assistant coach at the University of Texas from 2006-10, helping the Longhorns to three NCAA Tournament appearances, including back-to-back Sweet Sixteen berths in 2006 and 2007. The 2007 squad rose as high as No. 1 in the national rankings. Working with the goalkeepers and defenders, Mott helped guide UT to a school record for lowest goals against average (0.64 in 2008) and several other defensive records during his tenure. 

No stranger to the Southeastern Conference, Mott assisted Karen Hoppa at Auburn from 1999-2005. He was promoted from assistant to assistant head coach to associate head coach during his time on the Plains and helped the Tigers to four straight NCAA Tournaments and four straight SEC West titles from 2001-04. He was named the AFLAC National Assistant Coach of the Year in 2002 when Auburn claimed the SEC overall championship. As Auburn's recruiting coordinator, Mott brought in six nationally ranked signing classes and helped develop several players to All-SEC and All-America honors.

The Norwood, New York, native served as an assistant coach at his alma mater, Central Florida, for four years under Hoppa prior to his stint at Auburn. While there, the Golden Knights won three Trans Atlantic Athletic Conference Championships and earned an NCAA Tournament berth in 1998. 

Before UCF, Mott was the head women's coach at Division III Hilbert College in Hamburg, N.Y., where he became the winningest coach in school history during his tenure from 1991-94. He was also the goalkeepers coach for the men's team at Hilbert during that time. 

Mott obtained a bachelor's degree in general studies and a minor in criminal justice from UCF in 2000 and also earned an Associate of Science degree in 1994 from Erie Community College in Buffalo, N.Y. Before college, Mott spent four years in the U.S. Coast Guard where he played and coached with the Coast Guard's select team in Portsmouth, Va. 

Mott holds a National "B" Coaching License from the United States Soccer Federation. In addition to his college coaching positions, he has served as the goalkeepers coach for the USYSA Region III Olympic Development Program team since 2003. 

He is married to the former Jennifer Swartz. They have two sons, Dean and Will, and a daughter, Tacie.