Ole Miss Improves To 4-0 With Win Over Ragin’ Cajuns
OXFORD, Miss. – Rafaelle Souza delivered her fourth goal of the season in the 12th minute of Sunday’s match to deliver a 1-0 victory for Ole Miss (4-0) over the Ragin’ Cajuns of Louisiana-Lafayette (2-1) at the Ole Miss Soccer Stadium.
Olivia Harrison found Alix Hildal out wide with the initial pass, allowing Hildal to cross the ball into the box for Souza who found the back of the net. It was the first game-winning goal of the season for Souza, who leads the team with four goals on the year.
From there, the Rebels held on as Ole Miss and sophomore goal keeper Kelly McCormick delivered a second straight shutout with the 1-0 victory. The Rebel back line was solid again, limiting the Ragin’ Cajuns to only three shots on goal for the afternoon.
“Sunday games are tough,” said Ole Miss head coach Matthew Mott. “It was our first Sunday afternoon game. It was hot and hard to get going. That was a good goal by Rafaelle (Souza) to set us up and give us some breathing room. Our finishing wasn’t great, but you have to credit Louisiana-Lafayette for that.”
The Rebels outshot Louisiana-Lafayette 21-to-8 as Ole Miss’ offense kept the pressure on the visiting team for most of the afternoon.
Ole Miss had a chance to extend the lead to two goals in the 64th minute when freshman midfielder Jennifer Miller took a solid shot on goal from outside the 18-yard box. Miller’s shot forced a leaping save from Louisiana-Lafayette’s goal keeper as Amanda Moorefield punched the ball up over the crossbar, setting up a corner kick for the Rebels with the save.
The Rebels will return to action on Friday as part of a six-match home stand, hosting UALR at 7 p.m. at the Ole Miss Soccer Stadium. It is the first of two big matches on the weekend for Ole Miss, who will also host Texas Tech at 7 p.m. on Sunday night. Admission to all matches is free.
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