Oct. 4, 2002
Columbia – Senior midfielder Melinda Carter scored in the early part of the second half and junior goalkeeper Elise Matthews finished with her second consecutive shutout as the South Carolina women’s soccer team earned the school’s first victory vs. Kentucky in a 1-0 road win on Friday evening. Carolina improved to 9-2 on the season with a 2-0 SEC record. The 9-2 record ties the best start in USC women’s soccer history. The 1999 Lady Gamecocks also started its season with a 9-2 record. The Gamecocks conclude the road trip with a Sunday afternoon match at 2 p.m. ET at Vanderbilt.
“We overcame a poor first half of play and came out playing better in the second half and we lifted the level of play and we’re happy to come away with a win,” said USC head coach Shelley Smith. “Elise had a great game in goal for us tonight. She really was solid the entire night, in covering shots and intercepting crosses.”
Despite being outshot 13-10 in the match, Carolina was able to score the lone goal in the early part of the second half. Following a corner kick and a shot by midfielder Missy Hutson, Carter was able to get control of the ball at the top of the 18 and put a shot into the far post through the Wildcat defense for her fourth goal of the season.
Matthews finished the game with four saves on the night and is now 7-2 on the year. Carolina also earned the school’s fifth road win of the season, also tying the school’s best mark, set in 1997 and 1999 as well.
