Oct. 3, 2014 TUSCALOOSA, Ala. – After taking a 1-0 lead in the 24th minute, No. 24 South Carolina (8-3-1, 1-2-1 SEC) posted a 1-1 draw at Alabama (7-3-2, 2-1-1 SEC) on Friday night at the Alabama Soccer Complex.
The aggressors early, the Gamecocks kept the ball in their half of the field in the early going. Junior Coryn Bajema got off the first shot of the match in the sixth minute. The play lead to an early corner kick, but South Carolina could not connect.
In the 24th minute, the Gamecocks found the back of the net. On South Carolina’s fifth corner kick of the night, sophomore Chelsea Drennan sent a ball in to the box and freshman Savannah McCaskill pushed a header past Alabama keeper Emily Rusk for the 1-0 lead.
With less than 10 minutes until the break, Drennan sent a shot in towards the upper 90 after a Gamecock takeaway, but Rusk was able to deflect the ball with her fingertips to keep it out of the net and South Carolina took a 1-0 lead into the break.
Out of the locker room, Alabama amped up the pressure, maintaining more possession than the first half. Merel van Dongen took a shot from distance in the 50th minute that sent Gamecock keeper Sabrina D’Angelo diving to her right for her first save of the night.
The Tide knotted the match at 1-1 in the 58th minute. Jordan Meier sent a long free kick into the box and Maruschka Waldus finished it with a header over D’Angelo.
South Carolina looked to have ended the match just 90 seconds into the overtime period with Drennan and Bajema hitting McCaskill for a beautiful strike, but she was called offside and the teams played on.
Alabama put up a pair of shots in the first overtime period, while the Gamecocks’ lone chance came on the offside call.
In the second overtime period, Bay Daniel sent South Carolina’s lone shot of the overtime period wide in the 103rd minute. In the final minute of play, Ally Ocon bounced a hard shot off the crossbar that gave Alabama a corner kick. D’Angelo punched the serve out of the box and the match ended in a 1-1 tie.
GAMECHANGER
After the Gamecocks maintained possession for most of the first half and held a 1-0 lead, the momentum shifted in the 56th minute when Jordan Meier and Maruschka Waldus connected for the equalizer.
KEY STAT After being held to just one shot in the first half, Alabama outshot the Gamecocks 14-13 in the match. South Carolina has been outshot just three times this season. The Gamecocks are 1-1-1 when their opponents fire more shots.
NOTABLES
- Savannah McCaskill’s goal in the 24th minute was the first Gamecock goal in just over 200 minutes of play, dating back to Stevi Parker’s golden game-winner in the 100th minute at Auburn in the SEC opener.
- The goal is McCaskill’s second of the season. Chelsea Drennan recorded her second assist of the season on the play.
- South Carolina had played two overtime matches prior to tonight’s game, both wins – vs. then-No. 22 Boston University, 1-0, and at Auburn, 2-1.
- Seven Gamecocks recorded shots. Daija Griffin and Chelsea Drennan led the team with seven shots.
- Tonight’s result is the first tie since a 1-1 decision at Ole Miss last season (Oct. 20, 2013).
- Junior forward Coryn Bajema made her first start since the 2012 season. Before tonight, the Gamecocks had employed the same starting lineup for the first 11 matches of the year.
QUOTABLE South Carolina Head Coach Shelley Smith
I’m disappointed with the result. I thought we deserved better. We came out and made good strides forward from the end of last weekend. I was proud of how the team raised the bar and competed. We hoped for a result. They battled all night. Give Alabama credit, they tied it up and made it difficult for us. It was a good SEC battle. It was tough, difficult. We’re glad to get a point on the road; we just have to make sure we continue to move forward and keep working to improve our play.
UP NEXT South Carolina returns to Columbia to host LSU on Sunday. The SEC Network+ is set to broadcast the 1 p.m. ET contest at Stone Stadium. The match is the Gamecocks’ Pink Out presented by Academy Sports and Outdoors.
