By Adam Brown
Sports Editor
adam.brown@hottytoddy.com
The Ole Miss soccer team returns to the pitch on Thursday as they host No. 5 LSU. The first kick is set for 6 p.m. on SEC Network +.
Ole Miss (6-1-2, 1-0-0 SEC) is coming into the match off of a 3-0 win over Alabama to open league play. The Rebels are coming off of a 2-1 victory over Georgia Southern at the Ole Miss Soccer Stadium on Sunday.
Seniorย Haleigh Stackpole scored the opening goal for the Rebels and set up the game winner for her 10th assist of the season. She has the second most assists in the nation this season. In her career she has 25 assists, which is third most in program history.
LSU is 8-0-0 to open the season and a 2-0 win over Mississippi State.
This season, outscoring its opponents 28-4 in 2021, the Tigers are led in scoring by Tinaya Alexander with seven goals on the season, including four against Sam Houston. Seniors Alesia Garcia and Molly Thompson have also been firing at will, posting five and four goals, respectively.
While three keepers have seen time between the posts for LSU, Junior Mollee Swift has been the workhorse. The UCCS transfer has started all eight matches, recording a 0.44 goals against average and a .903 save percentage with three clean sheets.
After splitting a pair of matchups last season, Ole Miss and LSU are tied in the all-time series at 12-12-4. The series has been as tight as it comes in recent times too, with the last six matchups also being split down the middle 3-3. Ole Miss holds a slight 6-4-2 advantage in games played in Oxford, including a 4-0 battering at home in 2019.
