After a tough 3-0 loss to Arkansas last Thursday, the Ole Miss soccer team is gearing up for an even bigger test this week with the SEC top dog Florida Gators coming to Oxford.
As the Rebels prepare for the upcoming match, head coach Matt Mott wants to capitalize on their unfinished chances in the final third.
“We’ve created a number of chances and we’re just not finishing them,” Mott said. “It’s positive and negative. It’s positive because we are creating chances, if we weren’t creating chances I would be very concerned. The negative part is we’re just not finishing them well enough.”
The Rebels lost key defender Maddy Houghton for the remainder of the season to an injury. In a press conference earlier this week, Mott reflected on Houghton’s influence on the field.
“I think Maddy’s probably the toughest player we have on the team, so to lose her is definitely really difficult, and it doesn’t get any easier,” he said.
In last week’s match, the Rebels started off well, but a deflection shot in the 18th minute from Arkansas’ Tori Cannata gave Ashley Orkus no time to save. After a bit of back and forth between the two teams, the Razorbacks backed another in the net as a result of a penalty in the 34th minute.
Despite the 2-0 halftime score, the Rebels switched gears in the second half, creating chances and dominating possession. However, unfinished chances cost the Rebels the game when Razorback forward Parker Goins launched a long volley in the back of the net in the 89th minute.
“I’m disappointed for sure in the result, but it’s a tough place to play on a Thursday night in Arkansas. Our players battled really hard,” Mott said.
The Rebels left Fayetteville with their first SEC drop of the season but a better understanding of what is needed in the upcoming match to finish their chances.
With a standing record of 7-3-2 and a total of 21 goals scored, the Rebels are ready to face top-tier Florida (8-4) in this Thursday’s home match.
SEC’s Offensive Player of the Week, Vanessa Kara, is the leading goal scorer for Florida and will be someone the Rebel defensive line must watch.
“Florida, they’re just a very good team. They move the ball very well,” Ole Miss’ leading goal scorer Channing Foster said. “They’re, for sure, a possession team so that’ll be, in a sense, nice for us to get to play against a more soccer-oriented team.”
This game could go either way since both teams played Missouri earlier in the season with Ole Miss drawing a 1-1 tie and the Gators securing a 3-2 win. Both teams have a strong defense and a tough offense.
The outcome could very well be determined by set pieces, which would benefit the Rebels, who have scored four times off of corner kicks. Ole Miss hasn’t allowed a goal off a corner this season.
The match is set to kickoff at 7 p.m. at the Ole Miss Soccer Stadium.
