No. 3 Gamecocks Play To 1-1 Draw Against Georgia Sunday
Oct. 22, 2017
No. 3 Women’s Soccer vs Georgia
COLUMBIA, S.C. – No. 3 South Carolina women’s soccer battled to a 1-1 draw against Georgia Sunday night at Stone Stadium. Senior midfielder Lindsey Lane registered her second goal of the season in the tie for the Gamecocks (14-1-1, 8-0-1), who pushed their unbeaten streak to 13 matches with the result against the Bulldogs (4-11-2, 0-8-1 SEC).
Carolina remains atop the conference standings by one point with one regular-season game to play. A win at No. 20 Florida on Thu., Oct. 26, would secure the SEC Regular-Season Title for the Gamecocks. Carolina can also win the championship with a draw or loss should Texas A&M record a tie or loss in its match at Mississippi State this Thursday.
Lane opened the scoring in the 34th minute after the Gamecocks were awarded a penalty kick. Georgia was called for a foul in the box when a Bulldog defender pulled down Carolina sophomore center back Grace Fisk near the left post following a free kick from Gamecock senior attacker Savannah McCaskill. Lane lined up from the spot and calmly converted the penalty kick, slotting the ball into the heart of the net to give the Gamecocks a 1-0 lead.
Georgia’s equalizer came in the final minute of regulation on a corner kick. Bulldog sophomore midfielder Daria Stan’s ball into the box floated dangerously towards goal before Gamecock sophomore goalkeeper Mikayla Krzeczowski punched it away. The deflection fell to Katie Ralys, and the freshman midfielder tapped it into the net to even the score at 1-1.
The Gamecocks, who boasted a 21-9 shot advantage for the match, had several chances to push the lead to two early in the second half. In the 48th minute, Carolina freshman forward Ryan Gareis sent in a cross to McCaskill in the heart of the box. The senior striker’s one-time attempt headed towards the goal before missing just wide. Ten minutes later, Gareis took aim and fired a shot from the left side that hit off the right post.
Carolina produced three quality opportunities after regulation, two of which came in the first 10-minute extra time period. McCaskill set up the chance in the 95th minute when she slipped a pass to Gamecock freshman midfielder Lauren Chang inside the box. Chang quickly collected the pass and ripped a shot that missed right.
Less than a minute later, Carolina freshman striker Luciana Zullo sent in a cross from the right side that headed towards a wide-open McCaskill. The senior standout was unable to get a clean shot away, and the danger was cleared. McCaskill nearly secured the win for the Gamecocks in the 102nd minute following a Carolina corner kick. The ball into the box fell to the Chapin, S.C. native, whose header at the far post went towards goal before being cleared off the line by a Georgia defender.
The Bulldogs had two bids for an overtime winner down the stretch on a pair of chances for senior Kelsey Killean. Both attempts missed wide from the striker inside the box, including a shot with one second left in overtime that sailed past the right post.
Krzeczowski notched two saves in the match and delivered a great stop late in the first half. The sophomore denied a goal from Stan in the 41st minute when she jumped up to knock away the midfielder’s header that was dipping towards the net.
Carolina held a slight 9-8 advantage in corner kicks and put 10 shots on goal in the game. With the draw, the Gamecocks extended their unbeaten streak against Georgia to three matches.
QUOTABLE
“I give credit to Georgia — they battled and showed they wanted it more at times. We definitely had opportunities, but we didn’t capitalize. We made the mistake at the end, and it’s one of those things you learn from. This could be a good lesson come postseason play. We need to be better and make sure we finish games.” — South Carolina women’s soccer coach Shelley Smith
GAMECHANGER
Georgia’s equalizer in the 90th minute sent the match into overtime before the two teams played to a draw. The tally marked just the third goal conceded by Carolina in league play this season.
KEY STAT
Both teams racked up corner kicks in Sunday’s contest, combining for 17 in the game. The Bulldogs found the back of the net on their final corner kick of regulation.
NOTABLE
- Sunday’s draw snapped Carolina’s 20-match winning streak in SEC play in a stretch that dated back to 2015. The streak was the second longest in conference history.
- The Gamecocks finished the regular season unbeaten at home with a mark of 7-0-1. Carolina has outscored opponents 16-4 at Stone Stadium this season.
- Both of senior midfielder Lindsey Lane’s goals this year have come through a penalty kick. The Lusby, Md., native had not attempted a penalty kick prior to this season.
UP NEXT
South Carolina closes out its regular season next week when it faces No. 20 Florida on the road on Thu., Oct. 26. Kickoff against the Gators is scheduled for 7 p.m. ET, and the match will air on SEC Network.
