Oct. 9, 2005
Columbia, S.C. – A goal by Megan Jones at 107:55 in the second overtime period lifted Kentucky to a 2-1 win over South Carolina at Stone Stadium on Sunday afternoon in SEC women’s soccer action. Kentucky is now 6-2-6 and 2-2-2 in the SEC while the loss drops Carolina to 5-8 and 1-5 in the conference.
Kentucky went ahead early in the match at 16:12 when Courtney McCrudden scored her sixth goal of the season. Off a set piece set up near the end line on the right side, McCrudden was able to get her foot on the ball inside the six-yard box and put away a shot past USC goalkeeper Lindsay Thorstenson for a 1-0 Wildcat lead.
Carolina trailed until the 88th minute when Ashley Kirk knotted the match up at one apiece. A foul by a Kentucky defender on Carolina forward M.A. Foster gave USC a set piece from just outside of the penalty box. Kirk’s direct kick from 20 yards out sailed into the high left corner of the goal and out of the reach of UK keeper Anne Ogundele evening the match for the Gamecocks.
“We did a good job to make sure we competed and tied it up to put it into overtime,” said USC head coach Shelley Smith. “It comes down to heart and determination. You are down a goal in the second half. You have to want to win the game and they did a good job to step up as a group. Ashley Kirk did a great job to step up and get a crucial goal on the set piece. She came through when we needed it, but unfortunately it didn’t turn out in the end.”
In the first overtime, Carolina forward Courtney Cobbs appeared to win the match on a goal off a set piece but the goal was disallowed on a handball signaled by the referee against the Gamecocks. Jones would get the golden goal in the 108th minute off a counterattack. A misplay by the Carolina defense allowed for Kate Rowlands to dribble into the 18 on a two-on-one with Jones. Rowlands fed a breaking Jones, who knocked a shot in from 10 yards out and past Thorstenson for the game-winner.
“That should have been a clearance for us and it was a little unlucky and we made it into a scramble and we put that on ourselves,” said Smith.
Kentucky came away with a 12-8 edge in shots although the Gamecocks did outshoot the Wildcats 7-5 in the second half. Both teams had three corner kicks on the afternoon.
USC returns to the road for its next two conference matches with a Friday night tilt at Ole Miss at 8 p.m. ET and a Sunday afternoon match at Mississippi State at 2 p.m ET. Sunday’s match vs. the Bulldogs will be televised live on FOX Sports Net South.
