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The University of Mississippi Athletics
Ole Miss
Kentucky
Ole Miss Advances To SEC Soccer Tournament Semifinals
11/6/2003 | Soccer
Nov. 6, 2003
ORANGE BEACH, Ala. - Brittney Potts' second-half goal provided the difference in an Ole Miss 2-1 victory over Kentucky Thursday in the SEC Soccer Tournament first round.
The fourth-seeded Rebels (14-4-2) advance to the Tournament semifinals for the third time in five years, and will face the top seed Tennessee Friday at 5 p.m. CT at the Orange Beach Sportsplex.
After three straight games without a goal, the Rebels ended their scoring drought at the 36:12 mark. Amy Sample, who earned All-SEC second team honors Wednesday night, sent the ball ahead to Emily Brown, and the freshman forward drew the keeper out and ripped a 15-yard shot to the far left corner. It was Brown's sixth goal of the season.
Ole Miss' early lead would be short-lived, as the Wildcats (6-9-4) knotted the match at a goal apiece just before halftime. Elizabeth Ramsey fought a Rebel defender for the ball and connected from 10 yards directly in front.
However, an aggressive Ole Miss start to the second half broke the tie and put the Rebels back on top for good. Less than three minutes after the break, Potts, an SEC All-Freshman team forward, made good on her fifth score of the season, nailing the far left post from 18 yards out left after Karen Hall had pushed the ball ahead of the defense.
Possession switched back-and-forth throughout the tightly-contested battle, and shots finished at 16-15 in favor of Ole Miss. Rebel goalkeeper Brittany Gillespie totaled five saves on the day, including some diving stops in the second half.
"We finally got the monkey off our back, scoring that first goal," said Ole Miss head coach Steve Holeman. "We finally got rewarded for the things we have been working on. Kentucky is a very good team, and that was a great win for us. We did what we had to do, and we played well today."
Wednesday's bout was a rematch of last year's SEC Tournament opening-round match in Oxford, won by the Cats, 2-1. Junior midfielder Lindley Beckman is one four Bluegrass state natives on the Rebel roster, and she and her peers had not forgotten last year's disappointing loss.
"It feels really good to get this game back," Beckman said. "We all still remember last year, so this makes it twice as sweet. Although you don't really need the memory of your last matchup to get motivated, it does give you a little more to prepare for going into the game."
Using an Ali Christoph penalty kick, the Lady Vols (14-4-1) outlasted South Carolina, 1-0, in their opening round match. UT took home the SEC regular-season title this season, but suffered its lone league loss to the Rebels, 1-0, in Knoxville.
"We know Tennessee will be motivated for us," Holeman said. "It's always motivating for the team that lost the last game. But we're going to go into that game with confidence.
"They won the regular season title for a reason. They're a very talented team with a lot of weapons. We just have to come in and play our game, play our system and play hard."
Ole Miss has equaled its most single-season wins ever, and is one victory away from the program's 100th.
SEC SOCCER TOURNAMENT - first round
(Nov 6, 2003 at Orange Beach, Ala.)
Kentucky (6-9-4) vs. Ole Miss (14-4-2)
Date: Nov 6, 2003 Weather: Sunny, 78 Degrees
Kentucky........... 1 0 - 1Ole Miss........... 1 1 - 2
SCORING SUMMARY:
1. 36:12 UM Emily Brown (6) (Amy Sample) - Pass Over Top, Beat Keeper
2. 42:52 UK Elizabeth Ramsey (8) (unassisted) - Beat Defender, 1 v. 1 With Keeper
3. 48:25 UM Brittney Potts (5) (Karen Hall) - Through Pass, 1 v. 1 Keeper
Shots: Kentucky 15, Ole Miss 16
Saves: Kentucky 8 (Liz Butler 7; TEAM 1), Ole Miss 5 (Brittany Gillespie 5)
