The University of Mississippi Athletics
Ole Miss Cruises to 6-0 Victory Over Louisiana in Season Opener
8/17/2018 | Soccer
OXFORD, Miss. – After finding the back of the net eight times in last season's opener, Ole Miss had a lot to live up to Friday night. The Rebels brought their A game against Louisiana, delivering a 6-0 thumping in front of a lively crowd at the Ole Miss Soccer Stadium.
It didn't take long for the Rebels to assert themselves, getting on the board in the second minute. It was freshman Haleigh Stackpole doing the bidding, scoring on an open goal after a cross from Gabby Little and a headed pass by CeCe Kizer.
Just over 15 minutes later, another fresh face tallied for the Rebs as Madisyn Pezzino got on the end of a Little feed and took her chance before the tackle could be applied.
The Rebels continued to create chances throughout the half but were held in check, taking a 2-0 advantage into the break.
That's when the real fun happened. Ole Miss scored four times in the final 45 minutes, including three goals in a 10-minute span.
Redshirt-freshman Madison Smith was the first to break through, finishing in the 64th minute into the bottom corner of the goal after Grace Johnson's header fell to her feet. Just a few minutes later, Sydney Michalak took a failed clearance on the half-volley and looped a shot over the outstretched keeper, putting Ole Miss up 4-0.
Almost four minutes later exactly, Pezzino scored a brace on a poacher's goal, cleaning up the rebound after Stackpoles attempt was saved by the Ragin' Cajun keeper. CeCe Kizer closed scoring for the night with a poacher's goal of her own, collecting the rebound on Lonnie Mulligan's shot and cooly putting it home.
With the first win of the season done and dusted, Ole Miss turns its attention to Sunday night's affair with WKU. The Rebels and Lady Toppers will face off at 6 p.m. at the Ole Miss Soccer Stadium. The match will be available for streaming on SEC Network +.
Kickers
• In its last three regular season openers, Ole Miss has outscored its opponents' 17-0.
• Ole Miss controlled the pace of play throughout the affair, outshooting Louisiana 24-5, including 15-3 in the second half.
• Five different players scored for the Rebels, while five players issued helpers during the match.
• Haleigh Stackpole's opening goal was the fastest for Ole Miss since Gretchen Harknett got the Rebs on the scoreboard in just 42 seconds in the 2016 season opener, also against Louisiana.
• The Rebel defense didn't allow Louisiana to record a single shot on goal, helping Marnie Merritt cruise to a clean sheet.
Keep up with all the latest news and information on the Rebels by following Ole Miss Soccer on Twitter at @OleMissSoccer, on Facebook at Facebook.com/OleMissSoccer, and on Instagram at Instagram.com/officialolemisssoccer. Also follow head coach Matt Mott on Twitter at @CoachMattMott.
It didn't take long for the Rebels to assert themselves, getting on the board in the second minute. It was freshman Haleigh Stackpole doing the bidding, scoring on an open goal after a cross from Gabby Little and a headed pass by CeCe Kizer.
Just over 15 minutes later, another fresh face tallied for the Rebs as Madisyn Pezzino got on the end of a Little feed and took her chance before the tackle could be applied.
The Rebels continued to create chances throughout the half but were held in check, taking a 2-0 advantage into the break.
That's when the real fun happened. Ole Miss scored four times in the final 45 minutes, including three goals in a 10-minute span.
Redshirt-freshman Madison Smith was the first to break through, finishing in the 64th minute into the bottom corner of the goal after Grace Johnson's header fell to her feet. Just a few minutes later, Sydney Michalak took a failed clearance on the half-volley and looped a shot over the outstretched keeper, putting Ole Miss up 4-0.
Almost four minutes later exactly, Pezzino scored a brace on a poacher's goal, cleaning up the rebound after Stackpoles attempt was saved by the Ragin' Cajun keeper. CeCe Kizer closed scoring for the night with a poacher's goal of her own, collecting the rebound on Lonnie Mulligan's shot and cooly putting it home.
With the first win of the season done and dusted, Ole Miss turns its attention to Sunday night's affair with WKU. The Rebels and Lady Toppers will face off at 6 p.m. at the Ole Miss Soccer Stadium. The match will be available for streaming on SEC Network +.
Kickers
• In its last three regular season openers, Ole Miss has outscored its opponents' 17-0.
• Ole Miss controlled the pace of play throughout the affair, outshooting Louisiana 24-5, including 15-3 in the second half.
• Five different players scored for the Rebels, while five players issued helpers during the match.
• Haleigh Stackpole's opening goal was the fastest for Ole Miss since Gretchen Harknett got the Rebs on the scoreboard in just 42 seconds in the 2016 season opener, also against Louisiana.
• The Rebel defense didn't allow Louisiana to record a single shot on goal, helping Marnie Merritt cruise to a clean sheet.
Keep up with all the latest news and information on the Rebels by following Ole Miss Soccer on Twitter at @OleMissSoccer, on Facebook at Facebook.com/OleMissSoccer, and on Instagram at Instagram.com/officialolemisssoccer. Also follow head coach Matt Mott on Twitter at @CoachMattMott.
Team Stats
LA
OM
Goals
0
6
Shots
5
24
Shots on Goal
0
12
Saves
6
0
Corners
3
10
Fouls
10
6
Scoring Plays

Haleigh Stackpole (1)
Assisted By: Gabby Little , CeCe Kizer
Cross into the box headead across and sc
1:19

Madisyn Pezzino (1)
Assisted By: Gabby Little
Pass across the face of goal, slotted pa
16:53

Madison Smith (1)
Assisted By: Grace Johnson
Header off corner hits crossbar, cleaned
63:42

Sydney Michalak (1)
lofted shot off the half volley over the
69:58

Madisyn Pezzino (1)
Assisted By: Haleigh Stackpole
shot in front of goal saved, rebound put
73:59

CeCe Kizer (1)
Assisted By: Lonnie Mulligan
Initial shot saved, rebound scored.
83:35
Game Leaders
Players Mentioned
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