Rafaelle Souza clears the ball from a South Carolina defender during the soccer game on Oct. 20, 2013. Photo: Austin McAfee
After a 2-0 shutout of Kentucky on Wednesday, the fourth-seeded Ole Miss soccer team will take on the No. 1 seed Florida Gators this afternoon in Orange Beach, Ala., in the semifinals of the SEC Tournament.
The Rebels got their two goals from their two leading scorers on Wednesday. The first came from senior midfielder Mandy McCalla, and the second from senior forward Rafaelle Souza, who is now tied as Ole Miss’ all-time leading scorer with 41 goals for her career.
The Rebel defense will need to be prepared for the only scorer in the conference more proficient than Souza, freshman Savannah Jordan. The Florida star finished the season with 21 goals, two more than Souza’s 19.
The first matchup of the year between these two teams was a 4-1 victory for the Gators that quickly got out of hand for the Rebels. Florida scored three times in the first 15 minutes of action and never looked back. Ole Miss is looking to continue its recent success and give Florida a better game this time around.
“They whipped us up in Oxford early in the season, so we’ve got to play better than we did that night,” Ole Miss head coach Matt Mott said following Wednesday’s game. “But I think we will. I think our team is excited for the matchup.”
Florida made it to the semifinal matchup by virtue of a 1-0 victory over Arkansas. The low score was not indicative of Florida’s normal offensive prowess, although it did attempt 17 shots on the night.
The Rebels and Gators are scheduled for kickoff at 4 p.m. Friday.
For continuing coverage of Ole Miss soccer, follow @thedm_sports on Twitter.
— Nick Eley
