Owls Fall At Ole Miss, 2-1

Friday, September 14

Oxford, Miss.

7:00 PM

Rice University

3-1-1

Mississippi

2-1-2

Rice Owls

Mississippi

<b>Beth Martin scored her first goal of the season Friday night.</b>

9/14/2007 12:00:00 AM | Women's Soccer

Box Score

Sept. 14, 2007

Box Score

Senior Beth Martin's second-half goal gave the Rice soccer team hope for a late rally, but SEC power Mississippi held on for a 2-1 win at home over the visiting Owls Friday evening in Oxford, Miss.

Mississippi doubled Rice's shots for the game 15-7, including 9-4 in the first half, but Martin's score gave the team new life with 28 minutes left in the contest. Some of Rice's best shots were late in the period but Mississippi was able to corral each threat. The Blue & Gray suffered its first loss of the season to fall to 3-1-1 on the year while Ole Miss improved to 2-1-2.

Rice battled to keep the game scoreless in the first half. Freshman Kate Edwards drove a shot on-goal in the 13th minute looking to become the first Rice player in school history to score in four-consecutive games. The Rebel keeper made the save and two other chances on Owl corner kicks were cleared away.

The Rebels opened the scoring with a pair of second half goals to take a 2-0 lead. Amy Bayles dribbled long through the middle of the field and scored her first goal of the year on a shot in the 50th minute. In 52nd minute, Ole Miss took advantage of a Rice penalty inside the 18-yard line and scored her first goal of the year with a low drive to the left side.

The Owls regrouped and cut the lead to one. In the 62nd minute Rice forward Erin Scott made a break-away and drew the Ole Miss defenders in at the top of the 18 and made a spinning pass left to Martin sprinting up the left wing. Martin made just one touch and quickly blasted away at an open shot from just inside the left corner at the 18 and found the back of the net near the post on the right side. The goal was Martin's first of the year and the second of her career for the all-Conference USA defender.

"All game I had been cautious to run up the line because their forwards had been playing really wide," Martin said. "We were playing a really secure defense so I thought I'd go ahead and take the chance. Erin wasn't facing me at all so I was screaming for her. After her great pass the goal seemed wide-open."

Scott took a shot on-goal in the 64th minute and Beth Martin's twin sister, Clory, had a good look for a score in the 84th. Two more corner kicks in the second half went the way of the ones from the first half and the Owls held a 4-1 advantage in corners on the night. Perhaps Rice's toughest break of the night was when veteran forward Caitlin Robbins, one of the program's top scorers with 17 career goals, went down after just 29 minutes of action and had to be assisted off the field.

"Everyone knows Caitlin's a big-time offensive player for us, but that also affected us defensively because defense starts up top," Scott said. "We weren't without some offensive chances tonight, but it took us way too long to get started. We need to get focused and learn from tonight's game."

Down but not out, Rice continues its SEC road swing with a game at Mississippi State on Sunday. Start time is slated for 1 pm in Starkville, Miss.