Aug. 14, 2014
DURHAM, N.C. – In it’s lone exhibition match of the 2014 season, No. 14 South Carolina fell to No. 18 Duke 2-0 at Koskinen Stadium. The teams played three 30-minute periods in the match in Durham, N.C.
After Duke notched the first shot of the night, the Gamecocks saw their first chance in the 15th minute. Sophomore Chelsea Drennan found Savannah McCaskill for South Carolina’s first shot of the match, but the freshman’s header floated high.
The Blue Devils got on the board in the 18th minute. Duke’s Katy Colas sent the ball in the box toward senior Sabrina D’Angelo on a corner kick opportunity. In the activity in front of the net, the ball bounced off the keeper’s hands and into the goal for a 1-0 advantage.
South Carolina employed a new look to start the second half, subbing in seven new players. Duke kept more possession during the 30-minute stretch, but the Gamecocks did not allow a ball to get past them.
Employing yet another lineup, the Gamecocks came out trying to equalize and junior Bay Daniel created a good look early in the final stanza. The energy continued when junior Stevi Parker placed a corner kick in the box and got a clean shot on the rebound that went high in the 68th minute.
With just minutes remaining, Duke added an insurance goal courtesy of Casey Martinez off of a free kick from Ashton Miller. The strike gave the Blue Devils a 2-0 lead.
Junior Raina Johnson posted a pair of shots in the final minutes, one that clanked off the crossbar, but neither found the back of the net.
Game Changer
Duke took a 1-0 lead in the 18th minute when a corner kick from the Blue Devils’ Katy Colas sailed towards the goal and went off Gamecock goalkeeper Sabrina D’Angelo’s hands during the scrum in front of the goal.
Key Stat
Thanks to four shots in the final 30-minute period, the Gamecocks outshot the Blue Devils 6-3, but were unable to connect for a score.
Notables
- All 25 available players saw action in tonight’s match-up
- Freshman Savannah McCaskill earned the starting nod in her first collegiate competition and tallied two shots.
- Junior Raina Johnson, the Gamecocks leading scorer in 2013, also posted two shots with both coming in the final 30 minutes.
- Both senior Sabrina D’Angelo and sophomore Katelyn Houston recorded a save in the effort.
- South Carolina had three corner kicks to Duke’s one.
Tweet of the Game
I have a feeling this is our year! @GamecockWSoccer looking forward to another season of rooting on my favorite team!
— Trent (@dtrentparker) August 14, 2014
Quotable
South Carolina Head Coach Shelley Smith
“I think we’ll take a lot away from tonight. We saw everyone compete and saw several different combinations. We also played a great team in Duke, so it was good to challenge ourselves and play against a top-level program. There are things we need to work on, and that’s what you want out of your preseason match. We also did some very good things. We’ll take away a lot from tonight.”
Savannah McCaskill, Freshman Midfielder
“It felt great to be in a Gamecock uniform for the first time. I thought we played well as a team. We learned some things that we need to work on, but it’s good that we learned it early. I think that we’ll only get better moving forward.”
Up Next
South Carolina travels to East Carolina for its first regular-season match of 2014 on Fri., Aug. 22, at 7 p.m. The Gamecocks open their home slate on Sun., Aug. 24, against Samford with kickoff at Stone Stadium set for 6 p.m.
