Sept. 4, 2015
COLUMBIA, S.C – The No. 16 South Carolina women’s soccer team concluded its homestand with a 2-0 win over Colgate on Friday night at Stone Stadium. The Gamecocks improved to 4-1-0 overall with the victory, while the Raiders dropped to 1-4-0 in 2015.
The Gamecock defense turned in its best performance of the season in the victory, allowing zero shot attempts. South Carolina dominated possession throughout much of the game against a Colgate team that spent little time in its attacking third.
Senior forward Coryn Bajema and sophomore midfielder Lindsey Lane provided the goals for the Gamecocks, who moved to 4-0 at home following the win.
Bajema opened the scoring in the 42nd minute, netting her eighth career goal on South Carolina’s first corner kick of the night. Junior midfielder Chelsea Drennan’s cross into the box found defender Paige Bendell, who headed an attempt on frame. Her shot was blocked by Colgate keeper Erin Cummings before Bajema collected the rebound and slotted home her first score of the season.
The Gamecocks stuck again early in the second half, scoring in the 48th minute following a series of nice passes. Carly Ray found some space in the left corner of the box, and the senior defender slipped a pass to Sophie Groff directly in front of net. Groff laid off a beautiful back pass to defender Lindsey Lane, who fired one into the back of the net past Cummings.
Goalkeeper Abbey Crider improved to 2-0 on the season after earning her second straight start in net for the Gamecocks. Friday’s win marked the third career shutout for the sophomore.
GAME CHANGER
Lane’s goal in the 48th minute gave the Gamecocks a commanding 2-0 advantage and put the match out of reach for the Raiders.
KEY STAT South Carolina produced all of the scoring chances on Friday, finishing the game with a 16-0 shot advantage.
NOTABLES
- Bajema became the ninth Gamecock to register a goal this season with her score against Colgate. South Carolina saw 12 players net goals all of last year.
- With another goal, Lane already matched her scoring output (2) from a year ago.
- South Carolina improved to 3-0 this season when leading at halftime. All three of those victories have come at Stone Stadium.
- Friday’s victory marked the first clean sheet for the Gamecocks this year. South Carolina entered the season with a combined 25 shutouts over the last two years.
QUOTABLE South Carolina Head Coach Shelley Smith
I thought it was a great win against a good Colgate team. We came out a little flat, but I thought we played much better in the second half. It was good to be able to finally get a shutout and overall it was a good victory.
UP NEXT
South Carolina returns to the pitch on Monday (Sept. 7) on the road against Charlotte. Kick-off against the 49ers is set for 5:30 p.m. ET. The Gamecocks will open SEC play next Friday (Sept. 11) when they face Georgia on the road at 7 p.m. ET.
