Madison Meador steals ball from opponent during game against Arkansas Sunday evening.
Ole Miss fell to No. 15 Arkansas at home Sunday afternoon following a back-to-back battle in the 95-degree heat.
After only five minutes of play, the Rebels secured their first lead of the game with a goal by midfielder CeCe Kizer. She broke away from the rest of the defense and it turned into a one-on-one battle against the goalie when she chipped it into the right back corner of the net.
Following the first goal, Arkansas had several attempts to score but were blocked. The Razorbacks almost tied the game when forward Stefani Doyle drove the ball into the goal but was intercepted when it hit the post.
Later on in the first half, Arkansas’ Alexandra Fischer fed a corner kick into the box to Kayla McKeon to tie the game. Arkansas held a 7-1 advantage on corner kicks over Ole Miss during this matchup.
Rebel goalie Marnie Merritt did not allow any more goals for the rest of the half, saving two from going in. By the end of the second half, Merritt had saved seven shots on frame, a season record high for her.
“This team is very good in the air and at set pieces,” Merritt said. “It was very difficult because we’re playing on the ground and on feet while they’re more of a kick-it-and-run team. I thought everybody stepped up big time on defense and really put their body on the line for the things they needed to.”
Early into the second half, the Razorbacks took their first lead of the game when Claire Kelly scored off a header from teammate Reece Christopherson following a foul. Collectively, Ole Miss and Arkansas had 22 fouls by the end of the game.
Gabby Little fights for possession of the ball during Sunday’s game against Arkansas. (Photo by Taylar Teel)
“Usually we only average about four or five fouls a game but today we had 10,” Ole Miss’ Assistant Media Director Bruce Lee said.
The game slowed down toward the end and the Razorbacks won with a final score of 2-1, making this their sixth straight win. Head Coach Matthew Mott wasn’t pleased with the crispness of his team’s performance.
“I think we just weren’t clean enough with the ball in the second half and didn’t connect as many passes. We also weren’t clean enough next to the goal,” Mott said.
Ole Miss will hit the road for the next two games against Kentucky and Alabama in hopes of a second conference win in Tuscaloosa. The Rebels will have two more home games before wrapping up their season on the road.
