FRIDAY: TENNESSEE 3, NO. 25 OLE MISS 0
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. – The Rebels got opportunities but were stymied on each attempt by the Lady Vol defense as No. 25 Ole Miss (9-3-1, 2-2-0 SEC) fell at Tennessee (7-3-1, 2-1-1 SEC) by a score of 3-0 on Friday night.
Mandy McCalla paced the Rebel offense with five of the team’s 15 shots, but Ole Miss couldn’t connect for a goal for the first time this season.
“It was a tough one tonight,” said Ole Miss head coach Matthew Mott. “We played pretty well for most of the game and certainly created enough chances to score. We just didn’t finish the chances we got to put the ball in the net. It’s tough to play on the road in the SEC. We have to get recovered and prepare for a tough game on Sunday at Georgia.”
Ten minutes into the half, the Tennessee offense had taken four shots with four corners as the Lady Vols pressed the Ole Miss defense. The home team was turned away each time, with the Rebels answering the pressure.
Ole Miss turned the pressure around quickly, attacking for most of the rest of the period. At the half, despite no score the Rebels had out-shot the Vols. 9-to-7.
Tennessee broke the stalemate in the 68th minute when Caroline Brown got loose on a breakaway following a defensive stop by the Lady Vols. Brown took the beat a defender and then put the ball in the net from the near side of the box to give Tennessee the 1-0 lead.
The Lady Vols added to the lead in the 76th minute when C.C. Cobb slipped past the Rebel defense after taking the ball from Aaron Parry and put the ball in the net from the top of the box.
The home team capped the scoring in the 86th minute on an unassisted goal from Amalie Thestrup to give the Lady Vols the final margin of victory.
SUNDAY: NO. 25 OLE MISS 3, NO. 20 GEORGIA 1
ATHENS, Ga. – In a physical Sunday match, the seniors stepped up big for the Rebels as No. 25 Ole Miss (10-3-1, 3-2-0 SEC) rallied to defeat No. 20 Georgia (9-4-0, 2-3-0 SEC) by a score of 3-1.
After falling behind in the first three minutes, the Rebels fought back for the win on a pair of goals from senior Rafaelle Souza and a goal from senior Mandy McCalla to grab the win. It’s the first for the Rebels over the Bulldogs since the 2009 season in a game also played in Athens.
Senior Erin Emerson also got in on the action, delivering the assist on the ball to McCalla for the game-winner.
Ole Miss out-shot the Bulldogs 24-to-12 for the game as the Rebel offense kept the pressure on for much of the contest.
“It was just an awesome performance from our players,” “We went down early, but the fight and character of this team is awesome. To fight back and pick up a 3-1 win and really close things out is huge. It’s a quality win on the road and gives us three more points in the standings. It’s so hard to win on the road in this league and our guys just really wanted this and gutted it out for 90 minutes.”
Georgia took the early lead when the Bulldogs intercepted a clear from the Rebel defense and served it in behind the Rebel back line where Marion Crowder gathered the ball and beat the Ole Miss keeper one on one to take the lead in the third minute.
Souza tied the game for the Rebels in the 20th minute when a handball was called on Georgia right outside the penalty box on the near side, roughly a yard from the end line. Souza lined up the free kick and bent it into the goal, tying the game at 1-1 and notching her 12th goal of the season.
The Rebels took the lead in the 52nd minute when McCalla took a corner from Emerson in the box and headed it into the goal. Emerson delivered a perfect service from the corner on the far side to set up the McCalla goal, her 10th of the season.
Ole Miss took the lead out to 3-1 in the 81st minute when Souza notched her second goal of the afternoon. The Rebels won the ball on a challenge and took off down the far side of the field before Jennifer Miller would dribble to the middle and send it over to Souza just outside the box on the near side. The senior then dribbled into the box and put the ball into the net to extend the lead to two goals.
Ole Miss will return to action with a single match next weekend, hosting the Vanderbilt Commodores at 7 p.m. on Friday at the Ole Miss Soccer Stadium.
