Oct. 12, 2002
Columbia, SC – The South Carolina women’s soccer team (9-4, 2-2 SEC) continues its homestand on Sunday with a 1 p.m. match vs. LSU (10-1-1, 2-0-1 SEC). Carolina is coming off a 2-1 double overtime loss to Arkansas on Friday evening. Carolina enters Sunday’s match in a three-way tie for second place in the SEC Eastern Division. LSU currently is in first place in the SEC and is the only team without a loss in conference play.
In last year’s match with LSU, four different players scored goals for USC in a 4-4 tie. Midfielder Becca Epstein finished the game with a goal and an assist.
The Gamecocks finished the match with a 29-12 shot advantage and almost came away with the game-winning goal in the second overtime. Off the corner kick, midfielder Jess Julin came close to scoring, as the ball bounced off the crossbar and just near the goalline.
South Carolina opened the match at 8:55 with an unassisted goal from Meredith McPartland. McPartland scored the opening goal in the match from 15 yards out. LSU responded less then two minutes later as Stacie McDougall knocked in a header off a set piece to tie the match at 1-1.
USC took the lead back at 22:48 as Melinda Carter tallied in her third goal of the year with a header off the assist from Epstein. LSU came back again less then two minutes later with another goal, as Rachel Cohen knocked in an unassisted goal, tying the match 2-2.
The Tigers went ahead for the first time at 33:58 as Artie Brown knocked in a goal from 10 yards out to give LSU a 3-2 lead. South Carolina wasn’t done though, as junior midfielder Kanika McAlpine scored her first goal of the season, off the Jess Julin assist, to tie the match at 3-3.
The Gamecocks came out strong in the second half to take a 4-3 lead as Becca Epstein notched her fourth goal of the year with a shot to the upper right corner.
The Tigers were not done though, as they finished the scoring at 72:28. LSU defender Ashley Mitnick scored off a direct kick to tie the match. The goal was the first by an opponent vs. USC in the second half.
Carolina is 2-1-1 in the overall series vs. LSU with the Gamecocks winning 8-1 in 1999, the last time LSU visited Columbia. LSU’s lone win in the series was in 1995, a 1-0 victory also in Columbia.
