September 7, 2001

Columbia, S.C. – After a scoreless first half, the USC women’s soccer team (1-0-1) scored four times in the second half, on its way to a 4-0 victory over the Davidson Wildcats, Tuesday evening. The win marked the first victory for the Gamecocks in the Shelley Smith era and was the home opener for Carolina in 2001.

“Our team was able to keep the ball in their end and we were able to finish,” said first-year USC Head Coach Shelley Smith. “After we scored the first goal, we gained some confidence and we kept shooting and we were able to get comfortable and score some more.”

The Gamecocks finished the game with a 26-6 advantage in shots and did not allow a corner kick to the Wildcats.

The Gamecocks got on the board at the start of the second half. At 46:41, Becca Epstein took a Lydia Bienias service in the penalty box and beat the Wildcats goalkeeper giving USC a 1-0 lead.

USC wasn’t done though, as 17 minutes later midfielder Melissa Hutson knocked a 20-yard shot in, to give USC a 2-0 lead. Ashley Williams drove down the field and scored from 25 yards out to increase the Gamecock lead to 3-0. The Gamecocks finished the scoring with just 23 seconds remaining in the game, as Kristen Schreiber beat goalkeeper Sarah Hobart to the left corner to give USC the 4-0 win.

“(Kristen) deserved that goal,” said Coach Smith. “She had a lot of near misses throughout the game and she kept battling and got the goal.

USC will take its 1-0-1 record on the road to California for the weekend, as the Gamecocks will play at the San Diego State Classic on Friday September 7 and Sunday September 9. The Gamecocks open up against the host Aztecs at 4 p.m. EDT Friday and finish up against the UNLV Rebels at 1:30 p.m. EDT Sunday.

Source: USCSPORTS.COM