The Rebels defeated No. 5 LSU on Thursday in a 2-0 victory at home. This is the first time in program history that Ole Miss has gotten a win over a top-5 team.
Coming into the match, LSU was on an 11-game winning streak and ranked. The last time these two teams met, the Tigers beat Ole Miss in the SEC tournament. LSU scored with 12 seconds left in overtime to put the Rebels away. This time, Ole Miss was looking for a little redemption.
Ole Miss completely dominated the match from the beginning to the end but didn’t begin to see results until the second half. The Rebels had 19 shots in comparison to the Tigers’ five shots. There were plenty of people in the crowd at the stadium, hoping to see them make history.
Haleigh Stackpole continued her incredible season with another assist to Molly Martin. She scored off a header to make it 1-0 in the 61st minute. In all of her four years playing at Ole Miss, Martin has not had more than three goals in a season. This year, she already has seven. Her role has been crucial in the success of the Ole Miss team this year, and when asked about the change, she credited her teammates.
“It’s my last year of playing soccer, and I gotta go out with a bang. When you have really good people surrounding you, it makes it really easy to score,” Martin said.
The Rebels didn’t get comfortable and Oxford native Mo O’Connor scored in the 75th minute to make it 2-0. O’Connor has played a crucial role for Ole Miss this year and continues to be a leader for this team.
Goalkeeper Ashley Orkus was instrumental in the Rebel victory and had four saves on the night, to lead her team to another shutout.
Ole Miss snapped the Tigers 11-game win streak and moved to 2-0 in SEC play, something that hasn’t been done since 2000.
The Rebels will look ahead to their next match against No. 16 Arkansas in Fayetteville on Sunday. You’ll be able to watch them on SEC Network + at 2 p.m.
