In what turned out to be the coldest game of the season so far, Missouri soccer needed a little while to warm up for their Friday night match against Mississippi at Audrey J. Walton Stadium.
In what turned out to be a thriller, the Tigers went down early as Rebels’ freshman forward CeCe Kizer scored in the third minute. The goal was scored in style as Kizer lofted a curling ball into the upper right corner from 20 yards out.
Missouri had trouble coping with Ole Miss as the Rebels played a physical 30 minutes.
“I think they were kind of pushing us around,” coach Bryan Blitz said. “I need to tell them that they start off really quick, and I didn’t do it so that’s a little bit on me.”
The breakthrough finally came in the form of junior forward Jessica Herrman.
Missouri earned a corner in the 39th minute. Senior Macee Blanchard whipped the ensuing cross across the face of goal, where Herrman met it with her head to level the score at 1-1.
“That was a perfect ball from Macee, perfect header by Jess Herrman,” senior Lauren Flynn said. “We practice corners everyday so to see that pay off, I was proud of both of them for putting in the work all week and finally finishing strong.”
The second half was hotly contested, with both sides creating chances to score. In all, there were 10 total shots in the second half.
The eventual game winner in the 70th minute came by way of Flynn. It was her second goal this season.
The goal came by way of another set piece. After the original corner was deflected away, a second ball was launched into the box. The ball was deflected onward by senior Candace Johnson and then volleyed in by Flynn to put Missouri up 2-1.
“It’s one of those (moments) you black out,” Flynn said. “I don’t really remember. I know Candace flicked it on and assisted me. It was a good ball in, and I was just trying to get any piece of it, and luckily I got something on it and it went in.”
Missouri was stable in holding its lead until the final moments. Junior defender Erin Webb committed a foul outside of the 18-yard box, leaving a promising opportunity for the Rebels with 6 seconds left.
The ensuing free kick ended up bouncing around the box until the final whistle blew as the Tigers could not clear it away.
“I think everybody was (nervous) but they handled it well, and we were lucky to come out on top,” Blitz said.
Missouri walked away with the victory and improved its record to 5-3-4. Meanwhile, Ole Miss fell to 8-3-2.
“It’s an SEC game,” Blitz said. “It’s a wild ride until the very end. We’ll take the three points and move on.”
Missouri’s next game will be Oct. 9 against Louisiana State in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, at 7 p.m. LSU comes into the game with a record of 7-3-3. There is no set broadcast at this time.