Sept. 28, 2014

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COLUMBIA, S.C. – No. 14 South Carolina (8-3-0, 1-2-0 SEC) dropped its second contest of the weekend on Sunday at Stone Stadium, falling 1-0 to No. 22 Georgia (7-2-1, 2-1-1 SEC).

Back and fourth play marked the early portion of the match as South Carolina and Georgia traded possessions, with neither team recording a shot until sophomore Sophie Groff had a chance blocked in the 21st minute.

In the 35th minute, the South Carolina backline played a ball back to senior keeper Sabrina D’Angelo, but Kelsey Killean pursued and met D’Angelo who had come off her line. Killean took a shot that bounced off of D’Angelo and then ricocheted safely out of bounds.

With just 15 seconds remaining in the first half, Georgia took a 1-0 lead. Delaney Fechalos flicked a long ball up to Killean. This time, the Bulldog sent a shot from the top of the penalty box that landed just inside of the post.

Out of the break, the Gamecocks were aggressive early and nearly knotted the match twice within the first five minutes. Junior Raina Johnson missed on a shot from just a few yards out in the 48th minute. After a free kick from senior Andie Romness just a minute later, sophomore Chelsea Drennan got off back-to-back headers at the goal line. One shot hit the post and the second went wide to keep the score 1-0.

In the 66th minute, Georgia’s Marion Crowder and South Carolina’s Kaleigh Kurtz got tangled up, with the extra activity resulting in a red card for Crowder and a yellow for Kurtz.

Down a player for the final 24 minutes of the match, Georgia held off the Gamecocks’ advances and took home the 1-0 victory.

GAMECHANGER

Georgia’s Delaney Fechalos hit Kelsey Killean on a long ball that Killean finished from the top of the penalty box for a 1-0 lead just 15 seconds away from halftime. The score would hold up to be the game-winner.

KEY STAT For the second match in a row, the Gamecocks outshot their opponent, taking 15 shots while limiting Georgia to six, but were unable to score.

NOTABLES

• Senior keeper Sabrina D’Angelo posted hauled in three saves on the day, with her Georgia counterpart Louise Hogrell recording three.
• Junior Raina Johnson fired a team-high three shots on the day.
• After a red card, Georgia played the final 24 minutes of the match down a player, but allowed the Gamecocks just three shots.
• After moving through non-conference play allowing just one goal, the Gamecocks’ opponents have scored a goal in each of the team’s first three SEC contests.
• For the second match in a row, South Carolina outshot its opponent, but were unable to find the back of the net.
• The Gamecocks have lost two contests in a row for the first time since 2012. South Carolina had not dropped back-to-back contests at Stone Stadium since 2011.

QUOTABLE South Carolina Head Coach Shelley Smith
We battled, but our ability to finish the chances we had and the composure in front of the goal was not good enough today. Some of our services weren’t as quality. We’re better than that. The goal we gave up was uncharacteristic of our team; you can’t put yourself in a hole like that. It was not a good performance overall today and on the weekend. We’ve got to make sure we turn it around when we go on the road.

UP NEXT The Gamecocks travel to Alabama for an 8 p.m. ET matchup on Friday and return to Columbia to host LSU on Sunday at 1 p.m. Coverage of both matches will be available on the SEC Network+.