Xander Norris
The Rebels’ five-match win streak ended last Sunday afternoon after Ole Miss was unable to pull off a late comeback win against the Jaguars of South Alabama.
As Ole Miss prepares for Missouri this week, head coach Matt Mott wants to see improvement in the Rebels’ coaching and execution before they face the Tigers on Friday.
“I think the players would tell you that they were disappointed on how we played,” Mott said. “We have got to coach better, we have got to get more prepared, and we have to execute better as we go into conference play.”
Despite finishing their non-conference slate with a 1-2 loss, Ole Miss had some positive takeaways from Sunday’s match. Except for two attempts from the penalty box, sophomore goalkeeper Ashley Orkus stopped all five of the Jaguars’ shot attempts. Orkus has started eight times in goal for Ole Miss, recording 39 saves and a 1.31 goals-against average this season.
Additionally, Madisyn Pezzino had a standout game on Sunday. The junior notched her third goal of the season with a beautifully tucked 20-yard shot. Pezzino is currently ranked third in goals scored for the Rebels behind senior Julia Phillips (4) and junior Channing Foster (6).
The Rebs have scored 18 times, attempting 19.4 shots a game this season – with 43.2% being on goal.
Missouri, led by head coach Bryan Blitz, has seen massive improvements in offensive production this year with an identical record of 6-2 in non-conference play. During the 2018 season, the Tigers only saw the back of the net 16 times. Mizzou matched that total last Sunday in their 2-1 victory over Northern Colorado.
Through the 2019 non-conference season, Missouri’s offense has averaged two goals and 12.5 shots per game. Sophomore Julissa Cisneros (5), senior Sarah Luebbert (4) and junior Bella Alessi (2) led the Tiger’s fast-tempo offense in goals scored.
Between the posts, Missouri is breaking in a new goalkeeper, redshirt sophomore Peyton Bauman. In the first eight games of her collegiate career, Bauman has gotten off to a hot start for Mizzou with 30 saves and a 1.33 goals-against average.
Friday’s match between the Tigers and the Rebels marks the seventh time the two teams have played each other. Mizzou leads the series 4-2-1.
Since joining the Southeastern Conference in 2012, Missouri is 7-0 in conference openers. The Tigers have outscored their SEC opponents 19-4 (+15) in league openers during that stretch. The last time Missouri traveled to Oxford for its conference opener, the Tigers mauled Ole Miss 5-0.
Matt Mott’s squad will attempt to make Mizzou 7-1 in conference openers when it kicks off against the Tigers on Friday at 7 p.m in Oxford.
