Gamecocks Power Past Elon 3-0 on the Road
COLUMBIA, S.C. – No. 13 South Carolina women’s soccer (10-3-0, 6-2-0 SEC) powered past Elon on the road Thursday night 3-0 at Rudd Field. The trio of Catherine Barry, Jyllissa Harris and Brianna Behm all scored in the first half to secure the first road victory of the spring.
“It was a great team effort tonight and they earned a hard fought win against a tough Elon team,” South Carolina head coach Shelley Smith said. “We limited our opponent to just one shot and that comes from a great defensive effort by the whole group. We also capitalized on some early opportunities with some strong offensive possessions that helped us control the game from the start. Overall, it was a strong performance and we look forward to being back at home for our next match against Clemson.”
The Gamecocks got off to a quick start once again with Barry connecting on the opening goal just four minutes into the contest. The freshman buried a header served by senior Ryan Gareis to put the Garnet and Black on top. The goal for Barry is the sixth of her rookie campaign and her fourth game-winning goal, tying her for the most by a freshman in Carolina history with Jennie Ondo (1996).
For the third straight match junior Jyllissa Harris scored for Carolina. The midfielder turned center back sent a long lofting shot from distance that found the back of the net for her fourth goal of the 2020-21 season.
Ten minutes later freshman Brianna Behm added to the Gamecocks’ lead with her first career goal. The Williamsburg, Va., native volleyed home a shot from inside the box after a perfect service from Gareis. Behm’s goal adds to the impressive freshman class total of goals this season giving the group 14 goals of the 28 this season.
On the defensive end the clamps were fully engaged for the Gamecocks. With Heather Hinz and Taylor Fox splitting time in goal the starting defensive unit of Harris, Sutton Jones, Hallie Meadows and Camryn Dixon allowed just one shot for the entire match, the lowest amount this season. The team shutout extends the streak to three matches with the Garnet and Black outscoring their opponents 9-0 over that span.
Carolina will have some down time before its next match on April 10 with Clemson. The match, scheduled for a 6 p.m. kickoff, will be played at Stone Stadium with the match being streamed on SEC Network +.
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