LSU defeats Gamecocks 1-0 in SEC Tournament Semifinals

Orange Beach, Ala. – No. 17 South Carolina women’s soccer (13-5-1, 6-3-1 SEC) was defeated by LSU (13-6-2, 5-4-1 SEC) 1-0 in the semifinals of the 2018 SEC Tournament. 

LSU’s goal, which was registered as an own goal, came at 65:26 and held through the final 25 minutes to send the Tigers to the SEC Tournament Championship match against No. 4 seed Arkansas on Sunday afternoon. 
 
“Disappointing result today,” South Carolina head coach Shelley Smith said. “Overall I’m most disappointed because we didn’t compete and execute like we are capable of. We had moments all over the field where we needed to be better. It wasn’t our day, and credit to LSU for finding a way to win and for showing a lot of heart in their play. We wish them the best of luck in the finals.”
 
South Carolina statistically dominated through the first 60 minutes, outshooting LSU 10-4. Junior Rebecca Koch opened up the match with a header just minutes into the match, which gave her a shot in each of the last three matches, her longest streak of the season. 

Luciana Zullo led the Gamecocks with five shots while fellow sophomore Lauren Chang had a pair of shots, both on goal. Over the past six matches, Zullo has a total of 23 shots, a team high. 
 
Senior Simone Wark put some pressure on the LSU defense early in the second half. She had a pair of shots on goal that were both saved by LSU’s keeper, who made a total of four during the match. 
 
Mikayla Krzeczowski made three saves in the match, including a crucial save with just 10 minutes remaining to keep the deficit to just one.  

Overall, South Carolina held the advantage in total shots with 11 to LSU’s eight. After tonight, South Carolina is 10-4-0 when outshooting its opponent. 

South Carolina now waits for the NCAA Selection Committee on Mon., Nov. 5, to find out its opponent for the 2018 NCAA Tournament. The start time for the Selection Show is still to be determined. 
 
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