Soccer Outlasts No. 19 Gators

Team	1	2	Final F
Florida	1	1	2
Ole Miss	1	2	3

Florida

Ole Miss

OXFORD, Miss. – It had been 10 years since Ole Miss had defeated Florida, with the Gators claiming each of the previous nine meetings entering Thursday's matchup. The Rebels flipped the script under the lights at the Ole Miss Soccer Stadium, winning a back-and-forth affair by a final score of 3-2.

A late surge near the end of the game gave the Gators (8-5-0, 4-1-0 SEC) a 15-13 advantage in terms of shots, while racking up six corners to the Rebels' (8-3-2, 2-1-2 SEC) one. However, the Rebels won the only stat category that really matters, finding the back of the net three times on the night.

Play was very even through the opening minutes of the contest, with both teams looking creative going forward but struggling to break down the opposing defense in the attacking third.

After 15 minutes of play, the Gators capitalized on an advantage in numbers with Grace Johnson down with a knock, feeding a ball into the box with Madison Alexander slotting it home.

However, the Rebels had a response in the 39^th minute. Quickly taking a throw in, Julia Phillips found Sydney Michalak, who whipped a bending cross towards the far post. Saydie Holland got to it first and flicked to Channing Foster, who scored on the vacated goal to tie the match heading into halftime.

The second half got off to a hellacious start, with Lonnie Mulligan picking off the Gators in the attacking third and beating Susi Espinoza to the far post less than a minute after the restart. The lead did not last long, though, as Cassidy Lindley followed up her own blocked shot to equalize in the 48^th minute.

Once again, the Rebs had an answer. After Florida committed a foul in the middle of the pitch about 35 yards from goal in the 76th minute, Haleigh Stackpole whipped in a curling service and Molly Martin rose above all others, sending the ball over the outstretched hands of Espinoza to push the Rebs in front.

From there, it was game on. Florida threw all their numbers forward for the final fifteen and threatened the Rebel goal on a number of chances. However, each time Ashley Orkus was up to the task, turning aside whatever the Gators threw at her to keep the lead intact and give Ole Miss its first ranked win of the season.

Quick Kicks
• The victory over the Gators is Ole Miss' first against Florida since 2009 and just the third all-time. All three of the Rebels' wins have come in Oxford.
• It is also Ole Miss' first victory of the season over a ranked opponent.
• Ole Miss' three goals were its most since facing Long Beach State in Dallas on Sept. 12. In that game, Ole Miss registered a 3-0 victory.
• Channing Foster scored her eighth goal of the season, extending her team lead. Foster has now scored 28 times in her Rebel career.
• Molly Martin's game-winning goal was her third score of the season, moving into a tie with Haleigh Stackpole and Madisyn Pezzino for third most on the team.
• Lonnie Mulligan's second half score was her first of the season and second of the sophomore's career.
• Ashley Orkus made five stops on the night, her second five save performance in as many matches. Orkus has registered at least five saves in eight of the last 10 matches and 9-of-13 overall.

Next Up
With six points in the SEC table, Ole Miss hits the road for Athens, Georgia on Sunday. The Rebels and Georgia Bulldogs will duke it out at 2 p.m. CT, with the stream airing on SEC Network +.

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.

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Players Mentioned

Channing Foster

Saydie Holland

Grace Johnson

Molly Martin

Sydney Michalak

Lonnie Mulligan

Ashley Orkus

Madisyn Pezzino

Julia Phillips

Haleigh Stackpole

Team Stats

Foster Channing

Mulligan Lonnie

Martin Molly

Stackpole Haleigh