The Ole Miss soccer team enters the end of the regular season with two games this week against teams on opposite ends of the standings, traveling to No. 7 South Carolina on Thursday before returning home to host LSU on Sunday afternoon.
The Rebels took a tie against neighbor Alabama and gained only one more point toward the SEC Tournament. The Rebels sit at 8-4-3 overall with a 2-2-3 record in the conference, putting them at fourth in the Western Division.
Ashley Orkus was named SEC Defensive Player of the Week on Monday after her outstanding performance against the Tide last week. Orkus made a career-high 10 saves, including three in overtime.
The trip to South Carolina will be the ultimate test for Ole Miss this week with the Gamecocks’ 11-2-1 season record and 5-0-2 conference record. The Gamecocks are currently riding a seven-game win streak with their last loss coming from Clemson. They are currently ranked third in the SEC.
The Gamecocks have relied on their suffocating defense as South Carolina goalkeeper Mikalya Krzeczowski has allowed only six goals in 14 games this season. Most of that has been a direct result of a stiff defensive line that has allowed opponents only 103 shots this season, 32 of those being on target.
The Ole Miss attack against that defense will be the marquee matchup as the Rebels are second in the conference with 264 total shots this season, averaging 17.6 per game. It will be key for the Rebels to capitalize their chances on the road.
The game against the Gamecocks will begin at 6 p.m. on Thursday.
LSU will travel to Oxford this Sunday after a match against the Rebels’ in-state rival, Mississippi State. The Tigers currently sit at the bottom of the SEC, with a 2-11-2 record and a 0-6-1 conference record. In their most recent match, the Tigers fell to Vanderbilt 5-1.
The Tigers are dealing with a five-game losing streak in the SEC and have not won a match since Aug. 30 when they narrowly beat McNeese State 1-0.
The match against the Tigers will start at 5 p.m at the Oxford Soccer Stadium.
