The Rebels’ tight match against the Alabama Crimson Tide at the Ole Miss Soccer Stadium on Thursday night ended with an even score of 1-1 after two suspenseful overtime periods.
Both squads delivered an excellent execution of soccer on Thursday trying to secure more points to make it to The Beach.
In-between the poles, Ashley Orkus stood tall making massive saves for the Rebels during the entire 110 minutes. Her quick hands were key for the Rebel’s end result. Sydney Michalak made an impressive amount of tackles for Ole Miss’ defensive line during the entire match.
The stakes were heightened for Ole Miss after center midfielder Julia Phillips fired a missile into the back of the net in the 20th minute making this her 5th goal of the season. The Tide knocked on the door ten minutes later when Serena Pham’s shot was deflected from Orkus’ hands.
The last fifteen minutes of play in the first half was full of constant turnovers and chances from both teams. However, the Rebels managed to keep the lead.
Sophomore Lonnie Mulligan received a ball from the Rebel’s back line and carried it with speed all the way up to the final third where she beat three Alabama defenders. Her shot was too heavy to the left. Channing Foster itched for the goal the entire match while her shots bent a little too much both left and right.
The momentum switched back to Alabama when forward Chloe Maize attempted a shot but Orkus was there to punch it out. Moments later, the Tide were able to respond.
In the 84th minute, forward Gabby Duca equalized the score when Orkus’ punch away fell too short, bouncing right over the white line in goal.
Serena Pham of Alabama challenged Orkus again when her shot barely kissed the crossbar in the final minutes of regular time.
Whistles were blown but the score stood equal. On to overtime they went. Neither squad had lost in overtime the entire season so this battle in golden goal could have gone either way.
After regulation, Orkus had made 7 outstanding saves while the offense attempted 11 shots. During both halves of overtime, neither team found the back of the net ending the game as a tie.
The Rebels travel to Columbia, South Carolina to face off against the Gamecocks next Thursday in another SEC match-up.
