Oct. 7, 2012
OXFORD, Miss. – The Ole Miss Rebels scored goals in the 41st and 67th minutes to down the University of Kentucky women’s soccer team 2-0 on Sunday at Ole Miss Soccer Stadium in Oxford, Miss.
“SEC games often come down to little moments,” UK head coach Jon Lipsitz said. “(Ole Miss) was able to find theirs, and we weren’t. You look at the stat totals compared to our game Friday night and they are about the same. Credit goes to Matt Mott and his staff. They are a pleasure to play against,”
Ole Miss (10-5-0, 3-5-0 SEC) struck first in the game in the 41st minute on a bullet from Sara Coleman off a counter attack. The Wildcats had mounted a threat coming from the far side corner before the Rebel defense cleared the ball and found space in midfield. Coleman took a few touches about 12 yards from goal and rifled a shot top shelf that beat Price. The goal was Coleman’s second of the year with the assist going to Rafaelle Souza.
The Rebels dictated much of the run of play in the first half, outshooting Kentucky 5-4 and earning three corner kicks. The Cats were unable to mount any significant threat in the opening half, charting just four shots.
Kentucky (8-5-1, 3-4-1 SEC) was shutout for the first time since dropping a 2-0 decision to No. 22 LSU on Oct. 9, 2011.
The Rebels added to the lead with just over 20 minutes remaining in the game when Olivia Harrison scored on a cross that was deep enough and high enough to just pass over the end line before Natalie Horner and Kayla Price could keep it out of the net. The goal was Harrison’s sixth of the season.
Ole Miss now owns a 5-0-0 record over UK in the last five games, marking one of only two teams in the current alignment of the Southeastern Conference that UK head coach Jon Lipsitz has yet to beat in his time in Lexington.
With the loss Friday night and Sunday, the weekend sweep marks the first time in eight SEC weekends dating back to 2010 that UK has been swept in a weekend series. The loss also marked Kentucky’s third-consecutive defeat for the first time since the final three games of the 2009 season.
The Wildcats will be back in action Friday evening for their third-straight road game against the Tennessee Lady Vols in Knoxville, Tenn., at 7:00 p.m. ET. Kentucky defeated Tennessee 1-0 in 2011 thanks to a 106th minute goal from Natalie Horner in the second overtime frame.
For continuing coverage of UK women’s soccer, log on to UKathletics.com.
