No. 13 Ole Miss Welcomes Florida into Oxford

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

No. 13 Ole Miss soccer returns to the pitch this evening to play host to the Florida Gators. The first kick is set for 6 p.m. and can be seen on the SEC Network+.

Ole Miss (7-0-1, 1-0 SEC) remains undefeated after a 2-1 victory over Kentucky to begin SEC play. The Rebels won their SEC opener for the second-straight year.

The Rebels rank third in the nation and first in the SEC in corner kicks per game, averaging 8.33 corners.

Senior Ashley Orkus scored her first goal of her career in the 2-1 win over Kentucky along with four saves. First time a keeper scored for Ole Miss since 2014.

Florida rolls into Oxford with a 2-6 record after playing a tough non-conference schedule, including games against UCF and No. 12 Florida State. Florida is coming of a loss to Tennessee in its first conference match of the season.

Florida forward Alivia Gonzalez and midfielder Julianne Leskauskas lead the team with two goals each. Leskauskas attacks the net more than anyone on the team with 22 shots and nine shots on goal. She also is one of the team’s five assists. Forward Maddy Pirrello scored her first goal of the season in her third game played to start conference play against Tennessee.

The Gators’ keeper Alexa Goldberg started all 8 games, compiling 29 saves and one shutout. Goldberg and the defense have kept Florida in their games. Five of the Gators’ eight games have been decided by just one goal.

Ole Miss is down in the all-time series against Florida with a 4-21-1 record. However, the Rebels won the last two meetings, including a 1-0 win in Gainesville. The last time the two teams met in Oxford, Ole Miss took down No. 19 Florida 3-2 in October 2019.