Orkus Named SEC Goalkeeper of the Year, O’Connor Earns Second Team Honors

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. – For an unprecedented third-consecutive season, Ole Miss goalkeeper Ashley Orkus has been named the SEC Goalkeeper of the Year, the league announced Sunday morning. Orkus becomes the first goalkeeper in the history of the conference to win the award three times in her career. The senior also earned First Team All-SEC honors for the third-consecutive season.
 
Forward Mo O’Connor earned recognition from the coaches around the conference Sunday as well, earning Second Team All-SEC honors. This is the second career honor for the Oxford native as she was named to the SEC All-Freshman Team in 2019. O’Connor was also named to the SEC Community Service Team earlier this week for her efforts in her hometown community.
 

Orkus continued her incredible tenure between the posts for the Rebels in 2022 by becoming the all-time leader in career saves and shutouts. She set the new all-time saves mark on October 9 against Texas A&M with her 298th save. In that same game she also became the first Rebel goalkeeper ever to reach the 300 career saves mark and currently sits at 315 total saves.
 
Orkus became the Rebels’ all-time shutouts leader on September 1 against Louisiana Tech with her 23rd clean sheet and has 28 total shutouts to her name. She also sits second all-time in career goalkeeper wins with 41, needing just one more to move into a tie at the top of the list with former Rebel Kelly McCormick.
 
This season, Orkus set career-bests in shutouts, goals against average, and goals allowed. The senior from Alabama has allowed just 16 goals on the season, giving her a GAA of 0.89 through 18 matches. She posted nine clean sheets, including a streak of five-straight to open the season and three in SEC play. Her 63 saves are second-best in the SEC and her nine shutouts are third-most in the conference.
 
Orkus also scored the lone goal of her career this season in a 2-1 win over Kentucky. With less than two minutes off the clock, she took at free kick at midfield and sent it all the way into the back of the Wildcats’ net.
 
O’Connor has put together another great season at the front of the Rebel attack in 2022. She has scored six goals, one shy of her career-high, and put up four assists, tying her career-high. The senior also has three game-winning goals this season, securing victories in wins over…