Ole Miss Completes Weekend Sweep with Knockout of Arkansas

Oct. 12, 2003

Final Stats

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. - Ole Miss' Kaela Kelly notched her first career two-goal game to secure a 4-1 beating of Arkansas Sunday and give the Rebels a perfect 2-0 soccer weekend on the road.

Along with Friday's 3-0 shutout of LSU, Ole Miss moves alone atop the SEC Western Division standings with a 3-1 league mark, 12-2 overall.

Megan Mattei helped Ole Miss to a strong start on Sunday, netting her first goal as a Rebel at the 12:31 mark. The sophomore transfer from West Virginia used a Karen Hall volley and fired a strike to the back of the net from 20 yards out.

Less than four minutes later, the Lady 'Backs (6-5-2, 2-2 SEC) answered on Julie Willford's 11th goal of the year. Off a Katie Taylor pass, Willford volleyed a ball over the keeper to knot the match at a goal apiece.

However, the competitive first half ended with Ole Miss ahead 2-1 after an Emily Brown score in the 25th minute. Kristal Menard set up Brown for an eight-yard boot to the bottom left corner for the freshman forward's fourth goal of 2003.

Another Rebel freshman, Kelly, would handle the scoring after halftime. The Hesperia, Calif., native connected on goals at 66:18 and 84:05 to raise her season total to three and wrap up a 3-1 road swing for Ole Miss.

Menard picked up her second assist of the match on Kelly's first goal - a 16-yard blast to the upper right corner of the net. Kelly's second came one-on-one with the keeper after a long outlet pass from Lindley Beckman.

Ole Miss registered a 9-6 shot advantage against Arkansas and outscored its two opponents 7-1 on the weekend.

"We did a great job of finishing our opportunities today," said Ole Miss head coach Steve Holeman. "Arkansas is a talented team and very good at possessing the ball. It was a very even first half, and Kaela Kelly was the difference in the second half. We moved her to forward, and she played with a lot of confidence."

After two weekends on the road, the Rebels return to Oxford for a five-match SEC homestand to close out the regular season. With the Western Division race heating up, Ole Miss hosts Alabama Friday at 7:30 p.m. CT and Auburn Sunday at 1 p.m. at Ole Miss Soccer Stadium.

 Ole Miss (12-2-0 (3-1-0 SEC)) vs. Arkansas (6-5-2 (2-2-0 SEC)) Date: Oct 12, 2003  Attendance: 487 Weather: Clear, 70s ------------------------------- Ole Miss............  2  2 -  4 Arkansas............  1  0 -  1
 SCORING SUMMARY:  1.  12:31 UM Megan Mattei (Karen Hall) - 20yd strike off volley  2.  16:09 ARK Julie Williford (Katie Taylor) - Volley over keeper  3.  24:49 UM Emily Brown (Kristal Menard) - 8yd to bottom left  4.  66:18 UM Kaela Kelly (Kristal Menard) - 3v2 break, 16yd shot to upper right  5.  84:05 UM Kaela Kelly (Lindley Beckman) - 1v1 created by long outlet pass
 Shots: Ole Miss 9, Arkansas 6 Saves: Ole Miss 3 (Brittany Gillespie 3), Arkansas 2 (Carrie Dillsaver 2)

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Team Stats

Kaela Kelly

Emily Brown

Megan Mattei

Kristal Menard

The University of Mississippi Athletics