Carolina Falls to Fresno State, 10-8

Nov. 4, 2016

FRESNO, Calif. — The No. 6 University of South Carolina equestrian team fell on the road Friday evening, 10-8, to No. 9 Fresno State. The setback drops Carolina to 3-2 (1-1 SEC).

South Carolina dominated equitation over fences, winning four of the five points to build a 6-3 advantage heading into intermission. But the home team rallied in the second half of the meet, including a 4-0 edge in horsemanship, to secure the victory.

The loss snaps South Carolina’s two-meet winning streak. Fresno State improves to 5-2 with their win.

QUOTING HEAD COACH Boo Major

“A loss is a loss, but we learned a lot about ourselves in the process. Fresno State was so accommodating with all of our travel issues. We definitely had some mistakes that we can easily correct. As a whole, our team handled all of our travel adversity and our first time on the road well, with the exception of not getting the win.”

REINING RECAP

The Gamecocks and Bulldogs each won two points in reining. Carolina got points from Bridgett White, 73.5-71.5 over Taylor Brown on Noodle, and Caroline Gute, a 72-71 victory over Alysa Frias on Tuffy. Paisley Roberts earned a tie in her competition with a score of 71.

White was awarded M.O.P. honors for the first time in her career. Carolina has won the top honor in reining in all five meets this season, with five different student-athletes winning the award.

EQUITATION OVER FENCES RECAP

Carolina excelled in jumping by grabbing four points. Madison Butehorn earned an 84-76 win over Natalie Wendt on Gracie, and Chloe Schmidt rode Polly to a 69-68 victory over Paige Pastorino. Madison Sellman added an 81-75 triumph over Alex Dirickson on Satin, and Lizzie van der Walde finished the event with an 80-73 win over Kylina Chalack on Herbie. After the first half of the meet, the Gamecocks held a 6-3 edge.

Butehorn collected M.O.P. laurels. It’s her third such honor this season, tops on the Carolina team.

HORSEMANSHIP RECAP

Fresno State was able to take the lead by taking four of the five points in horsemanship. The lone Gamecock to keep Fresno off the board was Courtney Allen, who earned a 71.5-all tie on Jimmy.

Fresno State’s Taylor Brown was award M.O.P. after winning her matchup with a score of 76, highest of the day.

EQUITATION ON THE FLAT RECAP

The Bulldogs were able to clinch the match by finishing with a 3-2 victory on the flat. Carolina got a point from Schmidt, who earned her second tally of the day with an 82-64 victory on Tino over Brooke Nelson. Sydney Smith also won her matchup, defeating Sierra Swaffar by a 63-57 count on Satin.

South Carolina won their third M.O.P. of the day as Schmidt took the flat award. It’s her first M.O.P. this season and the third of her career.

NOTABLE

• Carolina is now 8-3 all-time against Fresno State, with all three of the losses coming on Fresno’s home turf.
• White’s victory was her first of the season. She’s the 20th different Gamecock to win a point in 2016-17.
• Gute improved to 3-0 in her freshman season, tops among Carolina reiners, while Schmidt has a team-high seven points. Her fences record is 4-1.
• With Schmidt and White winning M.O.P. laurels for the first time this season, the Gamecocks now feature 11 different student-athletes that have won top honors this season.

UP NEXT FOR THE GAMECOCKS

Carolina closes the fall season on Friday, Nov. 18, when they face No. 2 Auburn. The meet begins at 4 p.m. ET in Auburn, Ala.

The Tigers currently hold a four-meet winning streak over Carolina, including a three-match sweep last season. The Gamecocks will be looking for their first win over Auburn since Feb. 28, 2015 at One Wood Farm.