UNIVERSITY RELEASE — Originally published by Ole Miss Athletics, Sept. 24, 2026.
Ole Miss soccer’s first SEC home date of the season drew the toughest possible visitor. No. 3 Vanderbilt scored twice in the first half, twice more in the second, and left Ole Miss Soccer Stadium on Thursday night with a 4-0 win. The Rebels fall to 7-4-0 and 0-3-0 in conference play. The Commodores, still unbeaten, improve to 9-0-1 and 2-0-1.
The Goals
Sydney Watts opened the scoring at 21:42, finishing a sequence built by Megan Hinnenkamp and Courtney Jones. Mia Hebert made it 2-0 at 29:09 with an unassisted finish.
Vanderbilt pulled away after the break. Olivia Stafford scored at 65:01 off an assist from Melania Fullerton, and Hebert closed out the scoring at the 72-minute mark with her second of the night.
The Chances That Didn’t Land
Ole Miss answered the opening goal with its best stretch of the match. Ava Ghoreishi generated two looks in the minutes that followed, including a 26th-minute shot on goal that forced a save from Vanderbilt keeper Alexa Gianoplus.
Less than a minute after Hebert’s goal, Isabella Pontieri came close to cutting the deficit in half before Gianoplus stopped her as well. Pontieri got off another attempt before the interval, and the Rebels finished the first half with five shots and three corner kicks — and nothing on the scoreboard to show for it.
By the Numbers
- Shots: Vanderbilt 16, Ole Miss 7
- Shots on goal: Vanderbilt 7, Ole Miss 2
- Corner kicks: 5 apiece
- Fouls: 14 apiece
- Taylor Prigge — all 90 minutes in goal, three saves
Ghoreishi and Pontieri led the Rebels with two shots each, and between them accounted for both of Ole Miss’ attempts on target.
Up Next
Ole Miss stays home to host Texas on Sunday at Ole Miss Soccer Stadium. Kickoff is set for 1 p.m. CT, with the match streaming on SEC Network+.
📄 Read the full university release: Soccer Falls to No. 3 Vanderbilt → (OleMissSports.com)