Soccer Picks Up Big Win Over Texas Longhorns

OXFORD, Miss.  Ole Miss continued its unblemished spring exhibition season with an impressive 2-1 road victory over the University of Texas in Austin this past weekend.

The Rebels also defeated Texas State 2-1 and are now 3-0-1 in spring competition.

In their second match of the day on Saturday, the Rebels got a game-winning goal from Kelsey Breathitt with 10 minutes left to secure the 2-1 win over the Longhorns at their home field. With a Texas team that ranked 18th in the country at the end of last fall playing its only game of the day, Ole Miss overcame any fatigue concerns with a stellar performance on the attack and defense.

The two squads played the first of two 40-minute halves to a scoreless draw before Texas went up 1-0 early in the second period. Ole Miss answered minutes later when Taylor Cunningham took the ball from midfield, beat a player to her right and laced a shot from 20 yards to the far post to even the score at 1-1.

The Rebels’ game-winner came off a corner kick that was redirected to the back post where Breathitt slid in and knocked it home for the 2-1 advantage.

“We have a very young team this spring, and this win served as a big confidence builder,” head coach Steve Holeman said. “The girls battled hard for 80 minutes and never stopped competing. Texas is very talented and well organized, and it took a great effort from our team to get a result in Austin.”

Ole Miss began the day with a 2-1 win over Texas State, getting goals from Breathitt and Jenna Strother.

Facing winds close to 30 miles per hour, the teams played a pair of 35-minute halves on Saturday morning. In the first half, Hannah Weatherly beat a Texas State defender on the flank and sent in a perfect cross to Breathitt, who headed the ball in to give Ole Miss a 1-0 lead. The Bobcats evened the score just after halftime, but Strother came through with a 25-yard strike to the upper 90 later in the half to secure the Rebel victory.

“Our team played as well as it could under the conditions,” Holeman said. “The girls played with a lot of energy and intensity. It took a great team effort to get the win.”

The Rebels will be back in action on Saturday, March 28, when they face in-state and conference rival Mississippi State in a neutral-site affair in Ridgeland, Miss. Game time for the Magnolia Cup event is scheduled for 7 p.m.

The University of Mississippi Athletics

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