The Rebels’ fast pace and quick footwork dismantled the Crimson Tide, with Ole Miss breaking through midway through the first half. Ole Miss scored in the 20th minute and kept possession of the ball throughout most of the game. Coach Todd Bramble said the team had a game plan to keep the Rebels on their toes but it wasn’t enough.
“There was a distinctive momentum swing in the first half,” he said. “We were clearly the better team in the first 20-25 minutes maybe. But they weathered the storm. The chances we created during that period of time, we should’ve scored but we didn’t. They got a chance and scored and it seemed to deflate our team. They had the momentum for the rest of the half.
“I thought we would come out in the second half and be able to get a tying goal and see what happened from there, but we weren’t good enough.”
From the beginning of the game, it was apparent it would be a vicious fight. Alabama’s Maruschka Waldus and Mississippi’s Olivia Harrison head-butted each other in the first half. Merel van Dongen suffered a jaw injury. Other players dealt with run-ins with opponents, but despite the roughness, Alabama didn’t give up the fight, said sophomore Caroline Alexander.
“I think we just came out in the first 20 minutes with a lot of momentum,” she said. “And once they scored it kind of just went down.”
Alabama had 17 shots, with eight on goal, while Ole Miss had 12 shots with three on goal. Freshman Lacey Clarida posted four shots for the Crimson Tide, while junior Annalika Steyn had three shots and senior Laura Lee Smith also had three shots.
This is the Crimson Tide’s first loss in two weeks. Alabama (7-4-2) had back-to-back road wins last week and tied against South Carolina Friday night.
The Crimson Tide will travel to LSU this week. The match is slated to start at 6 p.m. Thursday.
