The SEC took on the Big Ten in women’s soccer last night when Ole Miss tied No. 23 Michigan 1-1 in double overtime in Oxford, Mississippi.
Both teams were 2-0 in their seasons going into last night’s game, and they both came out fighting. With three yellow cards, two for Ole Miss and one for Michigan, throughout the entirety of the game, the game went back and forth for all 110 minutes of play, but Coach Matt Mott was pleased with the team’s performance overall.
“We played very well tonight,” coach Mott said. “That’s a really great defensive team so for us to create the chances that we did, I was certainly very happy about it.”
When the two teams met last season at Michigan, the Wolverines defeated the Rebels 2-0. This year, Ole Miss was looking for revenge especially after coming off two games in a row where they dominated the field.
“It’s frustrating for the team to have so many opportunities and not find that game-winning goal,” said CeCe Kizer, junior forward who received NCAA Player of the Week for her performance in the first two games and had five shots last night. “It’s one of those games where you have to recuperate and prepare for the next one.”
The Wolverines took the quick lead with forward Taylor Timko heading the ball into the goal off a corner quick six minutes into the first half. This marked the first time Ole Miss goalkeeper Marnie Merritt had been scored on this season.
It wasn’t until the second half that the Rebels were actually able to connect the ball to the net. 12 minutes in, sophomore forward Gabby Little headed the ball bringing the game to a 1-1 tie. Assisted by Ella Johnson, this was Little’s first career goal.
“We needed to score at the time,” Little said. “It was a good chance for us, and I’m glad that we got it.”
In both the first and second half, Ole Miss out-shot Michigan accumulating 15 shots in regulation time compared to the Wolverine’s nine. This trend continued into the first overtime with Ole Miss shooting once, but Michigan out-shot the Rebels in double overtime 4-3.
Despite not coming out with a win, playing against a ranked team gave the Rebels confidence going into the rest of the season, according to Little.
“This game definitely helped us realize what we have and what we can do,” Little said. “It wasn’t the best outcome because we could’ve won, but for future games, we know that we can compete at a high level.”
The 2-1-0 Rebels will take on the 0-2 Louisiana-Lafayette Ragin’ Cajuns at 2 p.m. at home. This game, originally scheduled at the University of Louisiana at Lafayette, was moved to Oxford due to the threat of Hurricane Harvey impacting the Gulf Coast region.
“The biggest thing for us is to get regenerated and for the team to get their legs back for a tough game on Sunday,” Mott said.
