Addie Forbus runs downfield during Sundays’s game against Lipscomb. Ole Miss would end up winning 3-1. (Photo by Marlee Crawford)
There is an early candidate for SEC Player of the Year in Oxford. Senior forward Addie Forbus notched her sixth and seventh goals of the season Sunday night in the Rebels’ 3-1 victory over the Lipscomb Bison.
Forbus demonstrated some professional footwork, freezing multiple defenders on each goal. Her best play was a shot that did not go in. In minute 66, she curved the ball around her defender towards the top-left corner of the net, only to be stopped by the keeper.
“A lot of times, that’s when I have fun with it and let my creativity show,” Forbus said. “That’s when I get out of my head and play from my character and play with what I do naturally best. Any time the ball is at my feet, I hope to make something good happen.”
She was not the only Rebel who shined offensively. Sophomore midfielder CeCe Kizer added her first goal of the season alongside an assist on Forbus’ first goal. Kizer continuously got behind the Lipscomb defensemen as she fired four shots, one of which found the back of the net. In the first three games of the season, Kizer has been struggling to put shots on goal. Tonight she found herself with great chances to score and it paid off.
“If my job is to give the assist, and Addie scores, then whatever gets the wins,” Kizer said. “We figure out different ways we can attack and change it up.”
She credits her growing connection with Forbus from last year as a freshman to this season as the reason for the level of play those two brought to tonight’s game.
“We’ve just been working really hard in practice to get the chemistry down,” Kizer said. “Obviously, having a year of experience together is really great. I think that we work really well in creating opportunities up top.”
Coach Matt Mott is noticing something special between Forbus and Kizer.
“Those guys are just so good together,” Mott said. “You add in Gretchen (Harknett) and that’s a good three-headed monster that we have that’s really dangerous. They know how to attack and get a good feel for each other.”
Mott credited the team for setting up Forbus in great spots where she can attack. The atmosphere around this team shows that every member from the head coach down to the last player has bought into a mindset that the performance of the team outweighs individual success.
“Addie is just on a really good mark right now of scoring goals and getting in good positions,” Mott said. “We’re feeding her in good spots and she’s doing a good job of finishing.”
Ole Miss finished off a 1-1 weekend with the win over Libscomb. The Rebels will travel to Ann Arbor, Michigan, to take on the Michigan Wolverines Friday night before they return to Oxford a week from Sunday to take on the Troy Trojans.
