Ole Miss Soccer Knocks Off No. 24 Memphis 1-0

MEMPHIS, Tenn. - Kendyl Mygatt scored in the 77th minute and Ole Miss pitched a shutout on defense as the Rebels knocked off No. 24 Memphis 1-0 at the Mike Rose Soccer Complex Friday night.

With the win, Ole Miss improved to 3-1 on the season, while Memphis took its first loss of the year and dropped to 2-1.

"What a great game," said Ole Miss head coach Steve Holeman. "This was a great soccer match between two quality teams. The energy level and the level of intensity were very high. It was certainly a game where both teams probably felt like one goal was going to be the difference."

The defenses of both squads controlled throughout the match, as Memphis produced nine shots and Ole Miss seven. But it was the young group of Rebels on the road against a nationally ranked rival that capitalized on their opportunity.

With just under 15 minutes left in regulation, sophomore forward Kelsey Breathitt lined a shot toward the goal that was knocked away by Tiger goalkeeper Elise Kuhar-Pitters. Mygatt, a sophomore transfer from Texas Tech, alertly gathered the rebound on the left side of the goal and struck it past Kuhar-Pitters to put the Rebels up 1-0. Ole Miss maintained its defense for the next 14 minutes to earn a big victory.

"Our defense was very good tonight," Holeman said. "It wasn't just the back four, but also our midfielders and forwards that played solid defensively. It was really a complete game and a total team effort.

"This was an SEC-level match. Memphis is an NCAA Tournament caliber team. They're as talented as any SEC team we'll face, and I can see why they're picked to win Conference USA. Our team is young, but we're growing up quickly and we found a way to win this game. We played extremely hard.

At the end of the day, this will count as a very big win, but we still have plenty of things we can learn."

Ole Miss keeper Alley Ronaldi made five saves in 90 minutes and earned her second shutout of the year. Her Tiger counterpart made one save and allowed one goal.

The Rebels earned their first victory over a top-25 foe since a 1-0 win over No. 9 LSU last year. It was the first road win over a top-25 opponent since a 3-0 win at No. 9 Auburn in 2004. Their 3-1 record is the best through the season's first four matches since 2005, when the team started 4-0.

Holeman's squad will bounce back with a Sunday afternoon match in Hattiesburg, Miss., taking on the Southern Miss Golden Eagles.

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Team Stats

Kendyl Mygatt

Kelsey Breathitt

Danielle Johnson

Mallory Coleman

The University of Mississippi Athletics