The Rebels had no trouble finding the net in a 5-1 win with a hat trick from sophomore forward and midfielder Addie Forbus, along with two assists, as Ole Miss (2-1-1) defeated Louisiana-Lafayette (2-2-0) in a blowout at the Ole Miss Soccer Stadium.
After a tough loss in Louisville, Kentucky, on Friday, the Rebels returned to Oxford to get back into a winning spirit.
Forbus and junior defender Jessica Hiskey combined to score the five goals. Forbus had the two assists on both of Hiskey’s goals. Freshman midfielder Liza Harbin assisted Forbus on two of her three goals.
“Addie (Forbus) was really good for us, but it really started with out backs and midfielders picking up the ball and finishing her in space,” said Matt Mott, Ole Miss soccer head coach. “It was good to get Sam Sanders back in the back line for us and settle things down.”
The Ragin’ Cajuns opened up the scoring in the first minute when senior goalkeeper Kelly McCormick’s pass was taken by sophomore forward Yazmin Montoya who passed to freshmen forward Danielle DeRosa for a 1-0 lead.
“We just were a little too relaxed with the ball. We weren’t sharp enough to start, but I think that certainly woke us up and got us playing,” Mott said.
The Rebels fired back with pressure and scored the equalizer in the 14th minute. After a series of corners in quick succession on the third one, Hiskey headed in a goal from Forbus’s corner kick. The Rebels continued to keep heavy pressure on the Ragin’ Cajuns in the first half.
Forbus scored her first goal of three in the 27th minute to take the lead. Forbus scored off of a cross from Harbin right to her in the penalty box. Shortly after in the 33rd minute, Forbus scored again from an almost identical cross to Forbus in the penalty box burying the goal for the Rebels.
Going into halftime, the Rebels owned a 3-1 lead over the Ragin’ Cajuns. The Rebels defense held Louisiana-Lafayette to only four shots in the first half while the Rebel offense had 14 shots on goal.
The Rebels continued the onslaught of goals in the second half, with a fourth goal in the 50th minute. Forbus found Hiskey’s head again on a corner kick to give the Rebels a 4-1 lead.
Forbus once again found the back of the net for the hat trick goal in the 85th minute and sealed the victory for the Rebels.
“It was time for Ole Miss soccer to start scoring some goals,” Forbus said. “I knew that once we got the first goal they were going to start rolling.”
The Rebels return to the field Friday at 7 p.m. against a strong Minnesota team in the Rebel Classic. The Rebels will be ready for revenge, as they fell to Minnesota last season. They will close out the weekend with a Sunday game against Memphis at 7 p.m.
-Joe Humphries
