Kelby ZendejasThe Ole Miss soccer program announced its updated attendance policy on Tuesday, and general public admission will now be taken at the gate for the upcoming home match on Saturday. The Rebels are preparing to face off against the Georgia Southern Eagles this weekend on March 27 at 2 p.m..
Since the start of spring soccer, the Rebels have played teams such as Memphis, Samford and Georgia, as its game against Middle Tennessee was canceled due to positive COVID-19 tests within the Ole Miss soccer program. The game was originally scheduled for March 20, then it was moved to March 21 before being canceled altogether.
One player has garnered SEC honors for the Rebels thus far this season. Midfielder Haleigh Stackpole earned SEC Player of the Week on March 8 after the junior’s stellar performance against the Georgia Bulldogs. Stackpole scored a brace to lift the Rebels above the Bulldogs during their March 6 match. The honor marked the second league honor for Stackpole, as she earned SEC Freshman of the Week in 2018 after scoring a game-winning goal against Vanderbilt.
The Rebels are currently 7-5 overall going into the game against Georgia Southern, with three wins and zero losses in their spring season. Ole Miss is hoping to take its current three-game winning streak to four this weekend.
The Eagles are currently 4-11-1 with one win and one loss in their spring season run. The Eagles lost to the Florida Gators on March 11, 3-1, and won against the Stetson Hatters on Feb.13 for its spring season debut, 2-1. The Eagles have scored only 13 goals this year, with 27 goals from opponents.
Goal scorers for the Eagles include midfielder Marcela Montoya with five goals scored and two assists with forward Deborah Ruiz scoring three goals and no assists. Defensively, goalkeeper Sallie Newton has totalled 29 saves, and fellow goalkeeper Sara Story has totaled 36 saves on the season.
For the Rebels, top goal scorer Channing Foster is one to watch; she totals four goals this season with one assist. Behind her in goals is Stackpole with three and two assists. Sophomore Mo O’Connor also has two goals and two assists, while senior Madisyn Pezzino totals three goals and no assists.
Foster also totals four game-winning goals, while O’Connor leads the Rebels with 29 shots. Foster follows behind with 28 shots.
Two Rebels lead the team in assists. Senior Molly Martin has three and junior Ashley Orkus has three. The pair worked together in the fall season during the Vanderbilt game as Orkus delivered a free-kick up the field with Martin to flick it to Foster for the golden goal against the Commodores.
Defensively for the Rebels, SEC Goalkeeper of the Year Orkus totals a whopping 65 saves. As a whole, the Rebels have a total of 18 goals scored with 15 from opponents and averages 1.50 goals per game.
The home match versus the Eagles is set for kickoff at 2 p.m. at the Ole Miss Soccer Stadium and will be aired on SEC Network+.
