Behind another hat trick and a dominating offensive performance, Ole Miss soccer handed Northwestern State an 8-0 defeat Sunday night to cap a weekend sweep.
This time, it was freshman Channing Foster who found the net three times to lead the way. Behind her, CeCe Kizer scored twice, and Chanel Thomas and Julia Phillips netted their first career goals in a Rebel uniform.
Defensively, Ole Miss (2-0) was just as dominant as the backline and goalkeeper Marnie Merritt had to deal with just two shots, both of which came in the second half.
As was the theme in Friday night’s opener, the Rebels wasted no time finding the net just three minutes in off an own goal. Phillips, who went on to score later, had a perfect cross into the box before a Northwestern State defender flicked it in just past her own keeper for a 1-0 lead.
That score held for two minutes before Kizer netted her fourth of the season when Gabby Little dished out the assist and Kizer beat the keeper 1-v-1 from the 18-yard box to extend the advantage to 2-0. Seven minutes later at the 12:08 mark, a free kick came in from deep, before the keeper deflected it, both Kizer and Liza Harbin touched it, allowing Foster to propel a header for a 3-0 lead.
The freshman scored her second-straight just 11 minutes later when Mary Kate Smith crossed in from the far side, which opened up space for Foster to punch it into the right corner of the goal, pushing the Rebel lead to 4-0. That would last for only three minutes, before Thomas weaved through multiple defenders on the far side to net her first collegiate goal.
After the halftime break, Phillips increased the advantage to 6-0 when Smith put in a cross and she put up a header that drifted into the left corner. Just three minutes later, Kizer unassisted took a shot from 25 yards out that sailed into the right back corner for her fifth goal of the young season, and seventh on the night. Foster capped it off with her third at the 66:11 mark after controlling a defelction off an Alley Houghton assist.
Overall the Rebels posted 26 shots to the Lady Demons’ two, led by six from Foster, five from Phillips and four from Kizer. Ole Miss finished the contest with eight corner kicks while holding Northwestern State to just one.
Kickers
For just the second time in school history, Ole Miss scored at least eight goals in back-to-back games. The last time came back in the 1996 season, when the Rebels defeated Northwestern State 13-2, and Middle Tennessee 10-0 to close out that campaign.
For the second-straight game, a Rebel collected a hat trick as freshman Channing Foster put her name in the record books with two first-half scores, and the final goal in the second period.
Junior CeCe Kizer pushed her season goal total to five through just two contests (which matches her total from 2016), after a 1-v-1 score in the fifth minute, and an unassisted rocket in the 56th.
Sophomore Julia Phillips scored her first career goal after a header in the second period.
Freshman Chanel Thomas also recorded a career first after her dazzling goal in the opening half.
Junior Mary Kate Smith dished out two assists in the win after entering as a sub and finishing with 56 minutes on the evening.
Sophomore Alley Houghton, who had four assists in the season opener, was credited with another Sunday night, already topping her points total from the entire 2016 season.
For the second-straight game, the Rebels put up 25+ shots after the 35-shot effort Friday, and 26 on Sunday.
Up Next
Ole Miss hosts Michigan next Friday, Aug. 25, at 7 p.m. in Oxford.
Keep up with all the latest news and information on the Rebels by following Ole Miss Soccer on Twitter at @OleMissSoccer, on Facebook at Facebook.com/OleMissSoccer, and on Instagram at Instagram.com/officialolemisssoccer. Also follow head coach Matt Mott on Twitter at @CoachMattMott. Additionally fans can get a behind the scenes look at Ole Miss Athletics on Snapchat under the handle, @WeAreOleMiss.
