Ole Miss gets another chance to settle in at home Thursday night when it welcomes South Alabama to Oxford.
The Rebels are 5-1-0 and coming off a steady 2-0 win over Louisiana-Monroe, a performance that looked a lot more like the group that opened the season with confidence and clean soccer. Now they get a Jaguars team that has been on the road almost nonstop and has taken some lumps along the way.
Ole Miss has been sharp at home so far, winning two of its three matches at Ole Miss Soccer Stadium. The numbers back up the start. Four shutouts in six matches. A 9-4 scoring margin. A 91-47 edge in total shots and a 37-15 advantage in shots on goal. That is the profile of a team that controls games and forces opponents to chase.
The home crowd has also helped out, too.
“It has been good. We had a good little turnout for the game Thursday,” first-year coach Todd Shulenberger said. “We have a big one this Thursday against South Alabama, a great team, so we want to get folks out here and continue to support these young ladies.”
The scoring has come from everywhere. Seven different Rebels have found the net, and freshman Teaghan Irvin leads the way with five points through six matches.
“She’s been pretty good in front of goal,” Shulenberger said about Irvin. “I think there are some parts of her game that she has to get better at, and she’s well aware of that, but the kid puts the ball in the net.”
She has been one of the early sparks, but Ole Miss has leaned on depth just as much as individual moments. Becca Skinner, Ava Ghoreishi, Sarah Granno, Isabella Pontieri, Katie Ramsden and Paxton Bock have all scored, which gives Ole Miss options when matches get tight.
“We’ve been playing 20 to 21 players, which is a lot, and that’s good,” Shulenberger said. “I’ve said all along it’s not because of the heat. It’s because we’re deep. Every day counts. Every practice counts. Every goal scored, assist, tackle, foul, you name it, they’re being watched, and that’s a good thing.”
Sunday also gave Ole Miss a glimpse of the future. Anna Claire Jacobi earned a win in her first collegiate start, and Lauren Montgomery and Marieke Ten Brink made their debuts. That kind of rotation matters in September, especially with SEC play coming soon.
South Alabama arrives at 1-3-1 and has already played Mississippi State, Tennessee, Samford and Alabama. The Jaguars have scored five goals and allowed nine, and they have been outshot 96-32. Still, they have a couple of players who can change a match.
Aliya Gomes leads them with two goals and an assist, and Andrea Lazar has added two goals of her own. Mackenzie Smith has been busy in goal, making 32 saves with an .821 save percentage.
It is another chance for Ole Miss to stack a complete performance before the schedule turns to SEC play.
“I’d like to see some shutouts. I’d like to see some wins,” Shulenberger said when asked what he hoped to see in the final two non-conference games. “I think our possession could be better in front of goal. I think the opportunities we’re creating are there, and now we just have to do more with them.”
The Rebels have been strong at home, balanced in attack and organized defensively. Thursday is about keeping that rhythm and showing that the ULM win was the start of something steadier.
Kickoff is set for 7 p.m. on ESPN+.
