No. 18 Kentucky Hands Rebels First Setback of Season

Sept. 11, 2015

OXFORD, Miss. - The Ole Miss soccer team dropped the first contest of the season in a gritty conference matchup against Kentucky on Friday night at the Ole Miss Soccer Stadium. The No. 18 ranked Wildcats (6-1-0) defeated the Rebels (4-1-2) by a final score of 4-2.

Ole Miss stepped onto the pitch for the first conference match of the season and tallied 11 shots on the attack, while goalkeeper Marnie Merritt made two great saves. Two different Rebels marked goals on the night, as Addie Forbus tallied her fourth goal on the season and Gretchen Harknett notched her second.

Four different Wildcats scored for Kentucky, and the visiting team outshot the Rebels 19-11. Each team recorded seven corner kicks throughout the night.

Ole Miss made the first jump early in the night as Harknett sent the ball into the upper-left 90 of the net. Getting the ball on the right side of the 18-yard box on an assist by Jessica Hiskey, the junior found the back of the net in just the seventh minute of the game. Both teams continued to battle throughout the night, taking turns defending their respective goals.

Kentucky answered the Rebel goal in the 37th minute after an Ole Miss foul in the box. Kaitlin Miller scored her first goal of the season on the penalty kick and tied the score at 1-1. Ole Miss went back to attacking the Wildcats' goal. With two minutes remaining in the first half, Forbus' shot on goal hit the crossbar and barely missed the mark as the score remained tied going into the locker room.

"I thought we came out in the first half, played well and set some rhythm. We got a good early goal," noted head coach Matthew Mott. "In the second half it was all Kentucky. They really came out with a lot of energy. You have to give them credit."

The two teams emerged from the locker room for the second half and continued the tough SEC battle. Kentucky's Cara Ledman struck first to edge the Wildcats to a 2-1 advantage in the 54th minute. Zoe Swift kept the momentum going for Kentucky and put the ball into the net five minutes later on a run down the left side for an unassisted goal, extending the lead to 3-1.

Forbus responded to the Kentucky lead by launching the ball in for a goal in the 68th minute, notching her fourth goal of the season. CeCe Kizer fired a shot off the post, and Forbus was ready for the rebound to cut the UK advantage in half, 3-2. Thirteen minutes later Swift made the cross to Tanya Samarzich who netted the ball for the fourth and final Wildcat goal of the night.

Prior to the start of the game, the Rebels and Wildcats joined one another on the field in a moment of silence, remembering the lives lost from the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorists attacks. Friday marked the 14th anniversary of the tragedy.

Ole Miss will close out a seven-game homestand by continuing the Bluegrass State theme to finish the weekend. Ole Miss hosts Louisville at the Ole Miss Soccer Stadium Sunday at noon. Fans can tune into the action on SEC Network+.

"Louisville is a tough team. We have to get back and get ready to go on Sunday," said Mott.

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Team Stats

Gretchen Harknett

Addie Forbus

Jessica Hiskey

Georgia Russell

Players Mentioned

Addie Forbus

Gretchen Harknett

Jessica Hiskey

CeCe Kizer

Marnie Merritt

The University of Mississippi Athletics