In front of a record crowd, Mississippi natives shined for Ole Miss Friday as the Rebels defended the Magnolia Cup title for their sixth win of the year, beating Mississippi State 1-0 in Starkville.
Ole Miss took advantage of a Bulldog mistake within the first sixty seconds to score the match’s only goal. The victory marked the first SEC win of the year. The defense, led by juniors Maddie Friedmann and Sam Sanders, aided senior keeper Kelly McCormick with her third and fourth-straight shutouts of the year.
Ole Miss now boasts a 6-1-2 record and a 1-0-1 conference record with SEC play getting cranked up across the South this weekend.
Amory native Addie Forbus jumped on a bad pass between two MSU defenders in front of their own goal and shot back post to score the game’s only goal. The goal, Forbus’ fifth goal of her sophomore season and ninth of her career, was her first goal of SEC play this season.
Forbus’s goal silenced a record crowd of 1,235 people at MSU Soccer Field.
“It was just a bad pass and it came right to my feet, and all I had to do was place it near post,” Forbus said. “You can’t ask more than scoring against your rival in the first minute.”
Head coach Matt Mott improved his record against the in-state rival to three wins and two losses. The win serves as the first road win by any team in the rivalry during in the Coach Mott era, dating back to 2010.
“The game was hectic just like we thought,” Mott said. “But when we go up 1-0 fifty seconds in, we can’t ask for a better start.”
In the second half, Laurel native Sara Coleman continued to provide a spark off the bench. Coleman saw 45 minutes in the contest on the left side of the front line and recorded two of the rebel’s eleven shots. Coleman’s presence continues to ignite the Ole Miss offense.
Coleman’s playing time could be on the rise as the season continues. The Rebels’ leading scorer, junior Olivia Harrison, continues to nurse a lower-body injury. In her absence, Coleman’s role could increase.
“To not give up a goal on the road in a rivalry game is big,” Mott said. “It just shows how good our defense is playing.”
The Ole Miss defense, headed by McCormick, last allowed a goal against Memphis, over 310 soccer minutes ago.
“Frido (Maddie Friedmann) and Sam (Sanders) did a great job dealing with their forwards and Kelly (McCormick) picked up the shutout,” Mott said. “Got the win here, now it’s off to Orlando.”
Ole Miss drops final non-conference match against UCF 4-0
The Ole Miss soccer team completed their weekend road trip and wrapped up non-conference play on Sunday by losing to the toughest non-conference opponent on their schedule, University of Central Florida, 4-0.
McCormick and the Rebels took their 310-minute shutout streak on the road to Orlando to take on head coach Mott’s alma mater. The UCF Knights scored quickly and never looked back, notching three goals in the first half.
The loss brings the Rebels to 6-2-2 on the season. Away from home the Rebels are now 2-2. Ole Miss hosts Arkansas Friday night and eleventh-ranked Texas A&M Sunday afternoon.
