After going unbeaten in their first 11 games, the Rebels have lost their last two to Tennessee and most recently Alabama.
The No. 20 Rebels and the No. 4 Crimson Tide faced off Thursday night in a Top25 SEC matchup in Tuscaloosa with both teams looking to get a big win early on in conference play. Despite a great start for the Rebels, the Crimson Tide proved to be too much for head coach Matt Mott and his upstart side.
Coming off of their first loss of the season against Tennessee last weekend, Ole Miss was looking to get back to their winning ways on Thursday. It seemed as if the Rebels were on their way to just that, as MaryKate McGuire put the Rebels ahead just 12 minutes into the first half with a well-taken solo goal.
A well-placed ball through to McGuire set her off as she held off a defender with one arm before baiting the Alabama keeper off her line and fired it in the back of the net to put the Rebels on top. A dream start for Mott’s side put the pressure on No. 4 Alabama.
And what a response. Just three and a half minutes later, the Tide responded. A corner taken from Felicia Knox found its way into the back of the net untouched. Something that is a rare occurrence in the sport at any level, an “olimpico” is one of the more chaotic ways to score. But Knox had the necessary whip on her cross to place the ball beyond the outstretched arms of Rebel keeper Ashley Orkus.
The Tide didn’t stop there — just 35 seconds later, they scored again. This time from a beautifully worked passage of play that saw Bama’s Riley Mattingly Parker net her 10th goal of the season. Then again nine minutes later, they doubled their lead from another corner, while this time it was more “traditional.” A high cross into the box by Knox was met by the head of Macy Clem for Bama, extending the lead to 3-1, a scoreline that would remain until half.
In the first half, there’s not many better ways to describe it than that Alabama proved why they are ranked as high as they are. They outshot the Rebels 10 to four, with five on target to the Rebels’ two. Not just that, the Tide are the best team Ole Miss has played this season, as evident in their tactical setup and style of play.
In the second half, it proved to be more of the same. The Tide controlled the majority of the period, outshooting the Rebels eight to two, with five on target to the Rebels’ none. Bama would go on to add another goal in the 71st minute via another corner that was bundled in at the near post by Brooke Steere. While the Rebels are usually the ones dishing out goals from set pieces, they received a taste of their own medicine.
Although it wasn’t the night that Ole Miss had intended, the season is still young, and the Rebels have a talented side. Also, playing a team like Alabama, especially away, is arguably the toughest match fixture in the country.
Ole Miss will host back-to-back home matches next week, with Texas A&M coming in on Sunday before in-state rival Mississippi State makes the drive over on Thursday. Both of these have massive interdivisional stakes at play and both sides are incredibly talented. The two matches will be broadcast on SEC Network and ESPNU respectively. The match against A&M will kick-off at 1 p.m. CDT on Sunday.
