Rebel Soccer Upsets No. 7 Florida 3-2 In Rainy Double-OT Thriller

#7 Florida (8-4-1, 2-1-1) vs. Ole Miss (8-3, 2-1)
Date: Oct 04, 2009 Attendance: 189
Weather: 55 degrees, heavy rain

Goals by period 1 2 OT O2 Tot
-------------------------------------
Florida............. 0 2 0 0 - 2
Ole Miss............ 0 2 0 1 - 3

SCORING SUMMARY:
1. 60:51 UM Hannah Weatherly (5) (unassisted) - Shot loose ball from 9 yards far post
2. 62:10 UF Brooke THIGPEN (5) (Sarah CHAPMAN) - Shot from left side 12 yards far post
3. 77:26 UF Tahnai ANNIS (3) (Tricia TOWNSEND) - Header to far post off serve
4. 83:15 UM Kelsey Breathitt (5) (Taylor Cunningham) - From 3 yards near post off serve
5. 101:38 UM Abbie Curran (1) (Danielle Johnson) - Header off Johnson free kick

Shots: Florida 12, Ole Miss 19
Saves: Florida 6 (Katie FRAINE 6), Ole Miss 2 (Alley Ronaldi 2)

After playing through driving rain and swirling winds all game long, Ole Miss (8-3, 2-1 SEC) pulled off one of the biggest victories in program history with a 3-2 double-overtime thriller over the No. 7 Florida Gators (8-4-1, 2-1-1) Sunday afternoon at the Ole Miss Soccer Stadium.

A second-half scoring flurry by both teams sent the match into overtime at 2-2. Less than two minutes into the second overtime period, an Ole Miss player was fouled just outside the penalty box, and senior team captain Danielle Johnson sent a free kick into the box that was headed in by 5-foot-1 sophomore Abbie Curran for the golden goal.

“When I saw Dee taking it, I had an open spot in front of me,” Curran said. “I had a good feeling. I didn’t know what was going to happen. It came so fast, I didn’t even know what had happened until everybody started dogpiling me. It was a good feeling.”

“I hit it and Abbie just came flying through and headed it,” Johnson said of her 19-yard free kick. “It was an awesome play by Abbie. Give her all the credit. This victory means a lot. We haven’t beaten Florida since I’ve been here. We just wanted to win so bad. It was such a good win for all of us.”

The win was the Rebels’ second in school history over Florida (2005) and third ever against a top-10 ranked opponent.

“What an exciting win for our girls,” Rebel head coach Steve Holeman said. “I’m proud of the way our girls came out here and fought. We should have beaten them in regulation and we were the better team in the second half. Florida had two good opportunities and they scored on those two chances in the second half. We actually could have had five or six goals. Their keeper is phenomenal. She made some big-time saves. This certainly wasn’t a game that we would have been happy with a tie. I think teams have to respect us and know that we can contend with anyone.”

Ole Miss out-shot the Gators 19-12 in the match, including a 13-5 advantage in the second half when the Rebels controlled the run of play.

The rain played a factor as both teams had some trouble with footing at times and the ball had more pace than usual when it skipped off the wet grass. After a scoreless first half which saw each team attempt only four shots, adjustments were made at halftime that led to many more attacks and four dents in the scoreboard.

Hannah Weatherly notched the first goal of the contest at the 60:51 mark when she controlled a loose ball and fired it from nine yards far post to her left and past a diving Katie Fraine in the UF goal. It was Weatherly’s fifth goal in just seven matches this season.

Florida countered just over a minute later when Brooke Thigpen finished a Sarah Chapman serve from about 12 yards, shooting to her right past the diving save attempt by Ole Miss’ Alley Ronaldi. The Gators added their second score to take a 2-1 lead in the 78th minute as Tahnai Annis headed in a Tricia Townsend serve in the box.

But a valiant Rebel side continued to press and attack and were rewarded by their effort when Taylor Cunningham sent a powerful diagonal cross into the box to find a running Kelsey Breathitt, who finished the opportunity by poking in a 3-yard touch near post, knotting the score at 2-2. The equalizer was Breathitt’s fifth goal of the year.

Florida regained momentum in the first overtime period and controlled possession. The Gators attempted three shots and held Ole Miss to one as both teams battled through fatigue and the continuous driving rain.

It didn’t take long for the Rebels to get it going in the second overtime session, though, as Curran headed in Johnson’s free kick at the 101:38 mark, less than two minutes into the period. The monumental score was Curran’s first of the year and just the second of her young Rebel career.

Ronaldi earned the win in goal by making a pair of saves and allowing two goals in 102 minutes. Fraine received the loss with three goals allowed and six saves.

The next five matches for Ole Miss are all on the road. This coming weekend, the Rebels travel to Georgia on Friday (7 p.m. ET, FS South) and Tennessee on Sunday (3 p.m. ET, ESPNU) in the first-ever weekend for both Ole Miss soccer matches to be televised. The next home match is Sunday, Oct. 25 vs. Vanderbilt.