OFFICIAL STATS
JACKSON - Freshman
Margaret Eggers headed in her first collegiate goal off a well-executed corner kick from
Emily Townsend in the 26th minute and goalkeeper
Sarah Nelin had a huge second half as Millsaps knocked off cross-town rival Mississippi College for the first time in school history with a 1-0 victory Tuesday night.
Millsaps had been 0-12-1 all-time against the Lady Choctaws entering Tuesday night, but got its revenge from last year's 2-1 overtime loss in Clinton in which MC broke up a school-record 7-0 start for the Majors. Also with the win, Millsaps improved to 15-3-1 in non-conference action over the last two seasons.
"The girls played really hard tonight and I really felt like we deserved the win," seventh-year head coach Paul Van Hooydonk said. "Mississippi College has a great team, and it really means a lot for our program to pick up a win like that."
In a quiet first half, the teams stayed scoreless the opening 25 minutes until Millsaps capitalized off a corner kick for the game's first goal. Townsend sent a great ball into the box and found the head of Eggers, who sent it past MC goalkeeper Elizabeth Beatty.
Neither team had any scoring chances the final 20 minutes of the half, and Millsaps fired the only shot, as the Majors took a 1-0 lead into intermission.
Millsaps (7-4-3) looked to build on its lead just minutes into the second when Eggers once again found a header from the foot of Townsend off a corner, but her shot sailed just wide right of the post -- one of four similar opportunities in the period.
MC's (7-5-2) only real scoring threat came in the 67th minute when Hollye Henderson fired a shot across the net from 20-yards out but couldn't get it past a diving effort from Nelin who just got a fingertip on the ball to keep the match scoreless.
From there, the Millsaps defense would hold MC without a shot the final 24:21 to conserve the program's first ever win over its cross-town rival.
Millsaps will close out a four-match homestand Friday, welcoming SCAC-provisional member Birmingham-Southern (8-6) to Harper Davis Field for an 8 p.m. kickoff.