The Ole Miss Women’s Soccer team took pride in defending the home turf with a pair of wins in Oxford over Louisiana Tech and Louisiana State University. Neither Bayou squad could crack the Rebs at home, as Ole Miss cruised to a 6-2 win over the Bulldogs, and a 1-0 win to open conference play against the Tigers.
Against Tech, it was simply a wipeout. The Rebels opened the scoring in the 14th minute and never let off the gas.
Kelly Brady drew first blood and was followed by Gili Johnson (19th minute). Brady struck again (28th minute) not too long after her first goal. Louisiana Tech’s Kyra Taylor scored late in the first half (40th minute) to make it 3-1, but the game never got closer than that.
Meredith King opened up the second half onslaught with a goal in the 55th minute. In a matter of minutes Brady kicked for her hat trick in the 58th minute, securing the illustrious accomplishment, and Gili Johnson (85th minute) widened the lead to 6-1.
Louisiana Tech would not get shut out in the second half, however, as Kyra Taylors scored her second goal (90th minute) to make it a four-point game. The blowout marked the largest score differential for the Rebs this season, and it kicked off the homestand in brilliant fashion.
After shutting down the Bulldogs, Ole Miss faced a much stiffer and more important threat — LSU.
The Bayou Bengals have beaten top 10 Texas this season and looked the part of an SEC opponent that would be the real challenge for Ole Miss this season. Fortunately, Kelly Brady was still in form from her masterclass against Louisiana Tech and netted a goal in just the 20th minute.
Though the score was early, it proved to be the difference maker in a game that LSU had numerous chances to win. The Tigers out-shot the Rebels 22-9, but they simply could not make one land.
Rebel Goalkeeper Shu Ohba deserves MVP recognition for her effort between the sticks. LSU had the opportunity to tie or even take the lead, but Ohba stood strong and turned away all efforts.
After securing a pair of wins at home, the Rebels current resumé is listed below:
Wins: Southern Miss (3-4), Southeastern Louisiana (2-5), Georgia State (4-1-3), Louisiana Tech (3-4-1), LSU (5-3-1)
Losses: Memphis (5-1), Lipscomb (4-4)
Ties: Samford (4-2-3)
Next week, Ole Miss will travel up to Nashville to face-off against Vanderbilt. The Commodores are coming off an SEC-opener loss, but they dropped the game to a very strong South Carolina squad and should not be taken lightly as a result. Kelly Brady’s top form will be of the utmost importance for this matchup.
