Missouri got its first Southeastern Conference win of the season Thursday night, scoring twice in five minutes in the second half to beat Ole Miss 3-0 at Ole Miss Soccer Stadium.
The Tigers (4-8-2, 1-5-1 SEC) had gone 0-5-1 in league play before this game. The win snapped a six-game winless skid. Missouri’s last victory was a 5-0 win over Southeast Missouri on Sept. 4, and Thursday was its first shutout since then.
Emily Derucki opened the scoring in the 28th minute, finishing into the bottom right
corner with her right foot off a Lana Adams through ball that set Derucki up one-on-one with the keeper. Riley Wilkerson protected the lead, stopping an Isabelle Wright shot in the 43rd minute, and Missouri went to the break up 1-0 despite Ole Miss holding a 6-5 edge in shots.
The Tigers took control after the restart, outshooting Ole Miss 10-4 in the second half. Rylie Morse floated a free kick into the box to Brianna Buels, who knocked it in with her head.
Less than five minutes later, Morse found Adams for the third goal, sending in another free kick that was once again converted from a header. It was Adams’ team-leading fourth goal of the season, and Morse’s two assists were the most by any Tiger in a game this year. Missouri scored as many goals Thursday as it had in its previous six games combined.
Wilkerson finished with three saves for the clean sheet, including a stop on a Marieke Ten Brink shot in the 78th minute. Taylor Prigge, who replaced Anna Claire Jacobi in goal for Ole Miss , stopped a Derucki shot in the 83rd to keep it at three.
Missouri outshot Ole Miss 15-10 and held a 6-3 edge in shots on goal. The Tigers won the corner kick battle 7-0. Adams led all players with four shots, while Buels and Derucki each had three shots, two on goal.
The win left Missouri 14th in the 16-team SEC standings with four points, with the top 12 teams playing in the SEC Tournament. Tennessee and LSU are tied at five points for the last spot, one point ahead of the Tigers. Georgia and Florida hold 10th and 11th.
Missouri has three league games left, and its chances depend on closing well. It plays at Georgia on Sunday at 4 p.m. CDT, then returns home for the Pink Out against winless-in-conference Texas A&M (0-6) on Oct. 22 at 8 p.m. The Tigers host LSU on Nov. 1 at noon.
