Sept. 5, 2004
Columbia, S.C. – Senior forward Ashley Williams’ goal at 60:01 was enough to lift the South Carolina women’s soccer team (4-1) to a 1-0 win over Iowa State (1-3) on Sunday afternoon at Stone Stadium. The goal for Williams was her second of the weekend as the Gamecocks earned their third straight victory.
“After the first half I think we did a much better job to pick it up and control the game,” said USC head coach Shelley Smith. “Ashley Williams played great today and has really been a spark for us off the bench. She’s had a great weekend and worked very hard to help the team.”
Almost 15 minutes into the second half, USC got all it needed as Williams raced past the ISU defender into the box where she knocked a shot past Cyclones goalkeeper Jo Haig to the right corner for the lone goal of the match. Williams also scored on Friday night in a 4-1 victory over Houston. Williams now has 12 goals on her career at USC and 26 points, tied for 11th on the All-Time Gamecock Scoring List.
“Ashley has that drive to find the back of the net,” said Coach Smith. “She can run at backs and is dangerous when she is on the ball. It’s great to have her perform the way she did the last two games and it gives us an edge.”
After being outshot 4-3 in the first half, USC came back with eight shots in the second stanza and finished the match with an 11-6 shot advantage. Freshman goalkeeper Lindsay Thorstenson made three saves to earn her third victory of the year. Thorstenson came up big for USC midway into the first half as she made a diving save on a shot from ISU’s Brittanie Waddell to keep the game scoreless.
“I think Lindsay had a tremendous game,” said Coach Smith. “She saved us in the first half when we could have easily been down by a goal. It was a great goal opportunity for ISU. She came up with everything cleanly and moved her feet. We are definitely pleased that every game she gets better and improves on her play.”
Carolina returns to the field on Friday traveling up north for the Virginia Nike Soccer Classic. USC will face Maryland on Friday afternoon at 4:30 p.m. and the host Virginia Cavaliers at 2:30 p.m. on Sunday. South Carolina will next play at home on Wednesday, September 15 at 7 p.m. when the Gamecocks host Clemson at Stone Stadium.
