Sept. 9, 2006
Greenville, S.C. – The South Carolina women’s soccer team saw its three-game winning streak snapped on Saturday afternoon at the Carolinas’ Cup as the Gamecocks suffered a 1-0 loss to Charlotte. USC is now 3-3 on the year with Charlotte now 3-1-1 this season. Leah Zappone scored the winning goal in the 33rd minute for the 49ers while the Gamecocks were shut out despite a 13-1 shot advantage in the second half.
Zappone’s goal was her first of the year and came at 32:28. Off an assist from Rachel Mees, Zappone was able to get behind the Carolina defense and beat Carolina goalkeeper Laura Armstrong in a 1v1 situation. The game in the first half was mostly played in the midfield with Charlotte owning a 5-4 shot advantage after the first half of play.
Carolina attacked the Charlotte goal in the second half creating several chances. The opportunities include a back-to-back attempt by defender Kimmy Gillespie, off a corner kick in the 54th minute of play. Gillespie saw her first shot blocked and second shot saved off the line by a Charlotte defender with Samantha Diaz-Matosas following with a shot saved by Charlotte keeper Nicole Mercer. Diaz-Matosas would get her head on another shot at 65:28 only to be denied again by Mercer. She would finish with a team-high four shots. Gillespie, Ashley Kirk and Felicia Schroeder would add three shots apiece but nothing could find the back of the net for Carolina.
Mercer would finish the match with four saves to earn a shutout. Armstrong had one save in goal for the Gamecocks.
South Carolina will look to rebound on Monday, Sept. 11 at 7:30 pm on the second day of the Carolinas’ Cup in a match with the host Furman Lady Paladins. Live gametracker stats will be available at uscsports.com.
