The Rebels fought their way to the SEC Tournament quarterfinals with a nail-biting 2-1 win against rival Mississippi State on Sunday, using an 88th minute game-winning goal from forward Gabby Little.
The Rebels had the game in hand with a one-goal lead for most of the match until the Bulldogs equalized with under two minutes to go. Mississippi State drew a penalty when defender Chanel Thomas slid and clipped Makayla Waldner’s legs, bringing her to the ground just inside the 18-yard box.
The Bulldogs’ Niah Johnson equalized the match with the penalty kick. The match looked destined for extra time until seconds later when the ball found Gabby Little in the middle box, who tapped it toward the middle goal. The strike from Little’s left foot hit the keepers’ hand but bounce to the back of the net, helping the Rebels recover the lead they lost just moments before.
“I just knew how important it was for us to get this win and not have to go into overtime,” Little said after the game. “It was so important. I mean, I had a million chances to finish but I’m so glad I was able to finish the one that was really important.”
These two teams’ stout forwards and defensive lines were put to the test in the Magnolia Cup rematch, but the Rebels managed to pull out a big win in the SEC Tournament after Little’s relentless effort in the final third.
The Bulldogs gave away an own goal from defender Miranda Carrasco in the first 15 minutes of the game and as Mississippi State tried to equalize, their chances hit too far and wide and even hit off the white posts throughout the game.
The own goal separated the sides as the halftime whistle sounded with Ole Miss leading 1-0.
The pressure was on at the start of the second half for the Bulldogs. Niah Johnson had an incredible shot hit the pole and land in front of her feet. Her next attempt was cleared away by Ole Miss defender Madison Smith.
Ole Miss focused on defending senior Makayla Waldner and held serve until she got loose in the back corner, forcing the foul in the box that led to the equalizer.
In the last 15 minutes of the match, the momentum switched from team to team as both were trying to make their final marks on the scoreboard. While State was trying to get back into the game, The Rebels were missing chances.
First Team All-SEC forward Channing Foster got a one-on-one with the keeper but took one too many touches. Gabby Little hit a shot above the crossbar and missed with less than 10 minutes left. A few minutes later Little missed another one-on-one opportunity.
Little, Foster and SEC All-Freshman forward Mo O’Connor will need to capitalize on those chances in the quarterfinal against top-seeded Arkansas. The Razorbacks hold the regular season SEC title with a 8-1-1 record in the conference, their only loss coming against South Carolina.
The Rebels will kickoff against Arkansas at 6 p.m. on Tuesday.
