Ole Miss didn’t dominate the scoreboard Thursday night, but it dominated just about everything else.
The Rebels controlled the match from the opening whistle and finally found the breakthrough they’d been pushing for, grinding out a 1-0 win over South Alabama at Ole Miss Soccer Stadium.
It was a night where the buildup kept saying a goal was coming. Ole Miss outshot the Jaguars 10-0 in the first half and piled up a 9-0 edge in corner kicks, but the finishing touch kept slipping away.
Ava Ghoreishi forced two early saves, and the Rebels kept throwing numbers forward with chances from Audrey Shackelford, Evie Ewing, Katie Ramsden and Isabella Pontieri.
The pressure was there. The goal wasn’t.
South Alabama didn’t offer much until the second half, but when it did, Taylor Prigge handled it. She denied Ava Matherne in the 54th minute and Zamiyah Hill three minutes later, keeping the match level and buying Ole Miss time to finally cash in.
And that’s when the breakthrough arrived.
Keira Mitchell slipped a pass into space at the 61:22 mark, and Shackelford finished it cleanly for her first goal as a Rebel.
Rebs on the board 😤
Audrey Shackelford sneaks in a goal to bring the score to 1-0 for the Rebs! pic.twitter.com/62XuOBHckU
— Ole Miss Soccer (@OleMissSoccer) September 4, 2026
It wasn’t flashy. It didn’t need to be. It was the kind of goal that rewards a team for controlling the match and refusing to let frustration creep in.
South Alabama made its push after that, earning four corner kicks over a 13-minute stretch, but Ole Miss’ back line stayed composed. Two of the Jaguars’ final attempts were blocked before they ever reached goal, and Prigge closed out her fourth individual shutout of the season.
Ole Miss finished with a 14-6 advantage in shots, a 12-4 edge in corners and 55 percent possession. It wasn’t perfect, but it was steady, patient and exactly the kind of performance a team needs to stack wins in September.
The Rebels move on to Belmont next, returning to the field Sunday at 1 p.m. on SECN+.
