MOBILE, Ala. – Two Ole Miss goals in a five-minute span early in the first half proved crucial as the Rebels defeated the University of South Alabama soccer team 2-1 Sunday afternoon at The Cage.

Ole Miss wins its third straight to go to 5-1 on the year, while the Jaguars fall to 2-3.

GAME FACTS
- The Rebels' two goals – both from the right wing – came at 5:30 and 10:01
- The first, scored by Channing Foster, was a short-angle shot near the byline that deflected off USA goalkeeper Justice Stanford
- A short time later, Mary Kate Smith looped a shot just out of the reach of Stanford and inside the left post
- The Jaguars managed five shots in the first half – two on goal – but were unable to seriously test Marnie Merritt
- Six minutes into the second half, South Alabama capitalized on a mistake by Merritt to cut the lead in half
- A Rebel goal kick went straight to sophomore Ana Helmert, who dribbled inside the 18-yard box and fed freshman Moa Öhman at the penalty spot; Öhman beat Merritt at 51:01 for her second goal of the season
- Helmert tried Merritt from 20 yards out with 12 minutes to go, and freshman Morgan Cross had a tight-angle shot two minutes later that forced Merritt to go to the ground
- South Alabama outshot Ole Miss 10-8 after halftime, and put four attempts on net; the Rebels held a 16-15 shot advantage for the game
- Foster had a team-high five shots, with four on net, and Öhman put one of her five shots on target

NOTES
- Ole Miss is receiving votes in this week's United Soccer Coaches top-25 poll
- The Rebels lead the series between the two schools 4-2; the teams have split the last two meetings (2016, 2018)
- Öhman's goal was USA's first since the 78:48 mark against Chattanooga, a span of over 242 minutes
- Junior Audrey Duren played a career-high 55 minutes and was credited with one shot
- Öhman and senior Hannah Godfrey share the team lead with two goals apiece this season

THEY SAID IT
Head Coach Richard Moodie
On coming up short: "Soccer is a game of two halves and if we cancel out the first 20 minutes, we're the better side. We won the second half today and Thursday against LSU but we're not coming out with results. You want to see the rewards for working hard and the effort, and although we see it as a coaching staff, what we'll gain out of these games now to prepare us for conference on the back end, (the team is) just living in the minute. We've got to come into these games knowing that we can compete and beat these bigger teams."

On Öhman's goal: "The goals were very similar today – they pressed us, forced errors and capitalized, and we did the same to them. We forced mistakes and they were struggling – at one point, they looked defeated, I felt. When it's starting to break, you have to push it a little more and we couldn't get it across the edge. The girls did fantastic; we're proud of them. We look the same when we win and when we lose; we hold our heads up high knowing that we've done enough. We gave everything we had in the tank."

On getting more chances: "The message to them today was if we could get our head up in a pocket within shooting range, take the shot. I felt like there were two or three other great chances from distance we could have taken. We felt like if we could have tested (Merritt) more, we could have gotten something out of it. We're doing better in the final third, but at the same time, I feel like if we have to shoot 20 times to score once, then we better shoot 20 times. We have to take more chances in the final third. Too many times, we're passing the ball when we should be shooting and shooting when we should be passing. We're young, but we look good and we look dangerous going forward."

On Mascia's play: "Brianna today was one of the best freshmen on the field on both sides of the game. She just never stops. Regardless of who you are – Florida State, Auburn, Alabama, Ole Miss – when pressure is good, it makes you panic and forces errors. That's what she did a good job at – she's relentless and in their face. She forced lots of errors. As a freshman, that's great to see. She's not the only one; there are others and I hate naming names, but she stands out today for me. She came in to prove a point and did exceptionally well."

UP NEXT
The Jaguars start a four-match road trip Thursday at Alabama. Kickoff is set for 7 p.m.

For more information about South Alabama athletics, check back with www.usajaguars.com, and follow the Jaguars at www.twitter.com/USAJaguarSports. Season tickets for all Jaguar athletic events can be purchased by calling (251) 461-1USA (1872).

Join the Upper 90 Club, the soccer specific support club of the Jaguar Athletic Fund.  All gifts to the Upper 90 Club go directly to support the South Alabama soccer program.  For more information on how you can join visit: http://jaguarathleticfund.com/upper90

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