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The University of Mississippi Athletics
Ole Miss And Vanderbilt Play To 0-0 Draw
10/23/2008 | Soccer
With the tie, Ole Miss’ record moved to 5-9-3 overall and 3-5-1 in league play, while Vanderbilt’s moved to 8-7-2 and 2-6-1. Now with 10 points by virtue of their 3-5-1 league record, the Rebels inch closer to
Ole Miss is one of three league teams that has advanced to the SEC Tournament every year since 1997.
“Vanderbilt is a good team, and this was a very evenly matched game,” said Rebel head coach Steve Holeman. “Our girls played hard and played well. It was two great defensive efforts from both teams. We had chances to score, they had chances to score, and I think a tie is a fair result.”
Thursday’s game was not necessarily a typical defensive struggle. The Rebels and Commodores both created numerous scoring chances with Ole Miss racking up 22 shots and Vanderbilt 21, but in the end the defenses prevailed and kept both teams off the scoreboard for the 0-0 draw.
Ole Miss out-shot Vanderbilt 18-13 in regulation, including 11-6 in a second half which saw the Rebels gain the upper hand in possession. In the first few minutes of the second half, Ole Miss had a pair of dangerous opportunities with two free kicks just outside the 18-yard penalty box by Christine Breaux and Stacey Emmonds, but the Commodore defense held strong the thwart the threat.
In overtime, the momentum switched to the home team, and Vanderbilt had eight shots, while Ole Miss produced four.
“I thought during the first 90 minutes, the game could have gone either way,” Holeman said. “In overtime, Vanderbilt was the better team.”
Both defenses shined on the evening and saw quality play from both the back line and goalkeeper positions. Rebel freshman keeper Alley Ronaldi made a season-high 10 saves, including a nice diving stop in overtime, and earned her first career shutout in her fourth career start. Commodore keeper Rachel Bachtel made six saves in her shutout performance.
A very evenly matched first half saw Ole Miss and Vanderbilt rack up seven shots each. Amy Bayles gave the Rebels one of their best scoring opportunities when she and Austin Brown made a tandem run at the Commodore defense in the 23rd minute. Brown, coming up on the left, slid a ball to her right to Bayles, who struck a ball toward the goal, but Bachtel came up with a kick save to preserve the 0-0 score.
Ole Miss and Vanderbilt played into overtime for the sixth time in their last seven meetings, and produced a tie for the fifth time in the last six. The game marked the sixth overtime contest for the Rebels this season.
Next up for the Rebels is their final home game of the regular season on Sunday against
“I think we’re still in the running (for an SEC Tournament berth),” Holeman said. “But we still have to get results. The bottom line is we have to get a result on Sunday.”
