Ole Miss Soccer Faces UK in the Bluegrass State

By Adam Brown
Sports Editor
adam.brown@hottytoddy.com

Gabby Little looks to make a play. Photo by Petre Thomas/Ole Miss Athletics

The Ole Miss soccer team takes the pitch this evening in the bluegrass state as they take on the Kentucky Wildcats. First kick is set for 6:30 p.m. on the SEC Network+.

Ole Miss (9-6-1) enters the game after a 3-1 loss on the road at LSU. The Rebels currently sit at 3-3-1 in conference play and are tied for sixth in the league table with 10 points.

“LSU came out with a ton of energy and took it to us in the second half,” Ole Miss head coach Matt Mott said. “We did not play particularly well in the second half.”

Sophomore Channing Foster scored the lone goal against LSU making it her third in the last five contests. She ranks second on the team with six goals in 2018.

“(Kentucky) is a very big game for us,” Mott said. “We are still trying to qualify for the SEC tournament.”

Kentucky hit a rough patch in its season dropping each of its last eight matches, including the first seven conference matchups. During the skid the Wildcats have been outscored 27-6, suffering four shutouts in league play. 

Kentucky ranks 12th in the SEC in goals per game, scoring 16 times in 16 matches. Additionally, the Wildcats’ 162 shots on the season is the least in the conference. However, the Wildcats have had just as hard of a time preventing opponents from scoring on the defensive end. The 41 goals allowed by UK the most in the league, 18 more than the next closest team. 

The Wildcats are led in scoring by sophomore midfielders Yuuka Kurosaki and Hollie Olding, making up half of Kentucky’s scoring with four goals apiece. Fellow sophomore midfielder Eva Mitchell has been a key playmaker for UK leading the team with four assists. Freshman forward Abby Steiner has also been a primary contributor to Kentucky’s offense, registering a pair of goals and three assists on the season.

“They have one of the fastest players in the league up front, and they have been tight in a lot of games,” Mott said.

Tonight’s meeting between Ole Miss and Kentucky is deadlocked in the all-time series at 11-11-2. The Wildcats took a strong lead with five straight wins to open the series, taking six of the first seven meetings. The Rebs have fared well in Lexington, registering a 5-3 record against UK.