Nov. 6, 2013
ORANGE BEACH, Ala. – In its first game of the SEC Tournament, No. 9 South Carolina (16-2-2) avenged one of its two losses this season as it put Georgia (12-7-1) away early and added to the lead in the second half to defeat the Bulldogs 4-0 at the Orange Beach Sportsplex. It was only the second time this season that the Gamecocks have scored four goals in a game, and the first that saw four different goal scorers.
“We’re thrilled with a victory here in Orange Beach,” head coach Shelley Smith said of the win. “It’s always tough competition. We were excited about coming out and getting an early goal, and that makes a big difference in the game. We didn’t do that when we played at Georgia in Athens earlier in the year. Things were different today and it’s a good time, getting ready for postseason play, to be able to come in and do something we weren’t able to do earlier in this season. I’m pleased with the goal production and the overall production.”
Georgia came out strong, getting off the game’s first shot in the sixth minute, but four minutes later, the Gamecocks struck on their first opportunity of the match. Sophomore midfielder Stevi Parker sent a long ball from her defensive third to senior Danielle Au on the left flank. The striker took four dribbles into the box, created a little space and struck a rising liner that Georgia keeper Caitlin Woody couldn’t stop as it found the netting on the far side. It was her seventh goal of the season and 23rd all-time at Carolina.
Three shots later, South Carolina made it 2-0 when defender Andie Romness put a dangerous bouncing ball into the box in the 17th minute. From 50 yards out, the junior sent a free kick deep into the Bulldogs’ box which bounced through some traffic before senior midfielder Gabrielle Gilbert was able to get a foot onto the ball and put it into the upper netting past Woody.
Seven minutes later, freshman forward Daija Griffin used her speed to create space on the right side before hitting a shot from 18 yards that Woody had to go up to stop, but she couldn’t corral it. Georgia was able to recover though and clear it out.
South Carolina took a 2-0 lead and an 8-3 shot advantage into the break. Heading into the match, the Gamecocks had not lost this season when scoring two goals and that trend continued today.
Carolina continued its pressure in the second half and it paid off in the 76th minute as Romness again sent a free kick from near midfield into the box. The junior’s service found sophomore Coryn Bajema as she shifted back toward the 18-yard box as the ball was falling and flicked a header up and over a pack of Georgia defenders and rolled across the line. It was her first goal of the season. It was the forward’s first goal of the season.
Less than 10 minutes later, Griffin tallied her third goal of the season after beating her marker and slotting a shot past Woody one-on-one to make it 4-0.
The Gamecocks held a 14-7 edge in shots, putting seven on frame compared to Georgia’s two. Junior goalkeeper Sabrina D’Angelo made two saves in the game while recording her 11th shutout of the season.
Third-seeded South Carolina will face second-seeded Texas A&M in the semifinals on Friday. Kickoff is set for 7:30 p.m. ET at the Orange Beach Sportsplex.
“We saw them today, we watched them on film this season and they’re a great team,” Smith said of Texas A&M. “They’re dangerous offensively. They have some great playmakers. Shea Groom is tremendous coming out of the midfield. They have a great defensive presence in the middle, winning balls in the air. Their keeper [Jordan Day] has had a great year. They are all-around a solid team and we have to play our best to get a result against them.”
