No. 24 Ole Miss Plays No. 7 South Carolina To 1-1 Draw

Photo courtesy of Joshua McCoy / Ole Miss Athletics

OXFORD, Miss. – Olivia Harrison delivered her fifth goal of the season, putting the equalizing ball in the net in the 76th minute as No. 24 Ole Miss (12-3-2, 5-2-1 SEC) rallied to play No. 7 South Carolina (12-2-2, 5-2-1 SEC) to a 1-1 draw through two overtimes on Sunday.

Sophomore Jennifer Miller played a perfect pass to Harrison, sending the ball into the box from the 25 yards out on the far side and split a pair of defenders to the feet of Harrison. The sophomore forward from Memphis then took the shot, sending the ball into the net near the far post to knot the match at one.

Ole Miss’ defense held on from there, keeping the Gamecocks off the board as the two teams battled through the next 34 minutes for the draw.

The Rebels picked up a point in the overall standings for the tie and posted an undefeated weekend after going on the road and picking up a win over No. 25 LSU on Friday night.

“It was a big time match today,” said Ole Miss head coach Matthew Mott. “We didn’t play our best soccer in the first half and South Carolina really took it to us. We talked about playing with intensity and hunger at halftime and came back and fought back in the second half and knocked them back on their heels a little bit. They are a fantastic team and well coached. It was a great effort considering we lost two backs in the game and had to put in some players who haven’t played back there often this season, but they responded.

“Kelly McCormick played well today with a couple of huge saves and huge punches,” Mott said. “South Carolina is so dangerous on set pieces and she smothered a few opportunities for them. She is playing really well for us.”

South Carolina got on the board first, putting the ball in the net in the sixth minute when Chelsea Drennan gathered a ball of a deflection on an attempted clearance by the Rebels. The Gamecock sent the ball into the goal from inside the box and put the visiting team out to the early lead.

The Rebels kept South Carolina from inflicting any more damage, fending off several attacks in a high-pressure first half that saw the Gamecocks notch nine shots to none for Ole Miss.

The second half was a different story, however, as the Rebels bore down and attacked the Gamecock defense. Finally, that pressure paid off with the Harrison goal in the 76th minute as Ole Miss out-shot South Carolina 7-to-4 in the second period.

With the score knotted at the end of regulation, the two teams played through the two overtime periods without a golden goal. Ole Miss notched two shots in the first extra frame that were turned away by South Carolina’s Sabrina D’Angelo before the Rebels’ McCormick denied the Gamecocks on the only shot of the second overtime period.

Ole Miss will return to action on Friday when the Rebels play on the road for the final time in the regular season with a trip to Texas A&M. Kick between the Aggies and Rebels is set for 7 p.m. Friday and fans can follow all the action at www.OleMissSports.com.

— Ole Miss Sports Information