Women's Soccer Rallies Against Clemson, Ends In Draw
COLUMBIA, SC – The No. 4 South Carolina women’s soccer team rallied against in-state rivals Clemson to end things in a 2-2 draw Thursday night. The game marked the first of this year’s Palmetto Series; with each institution remaining at zero points after the tie.
Breaking Down the Action
The Tigers got things started quickly after kickoff, with Maria Manousos scoring the first goal of the game in the third minute of play. Clemson would keep up the energy, firing off five shots (four on goal) over the next 10 minutes.
After a back-and-forth possession battle on the pitch and two shots from the Gamecocks, sophomore Megan Spiehs capitalized on a deflected ball and scored the first goal of her collegiate career in the 41st minute to tie things up 1-1.
Coming out of the half, 5th year Samantha Chang notched the first shot of the second period for South Carolina, coming off just high over the net. Clemson answered with two more shots, until the third was successful for the Tigers’ Sydney Minarik in the 64th minute to put them back on top 2-1.
The Gamecocks’ Catherine Barry kicked things into gear, making three shots (one on goal) in three minutes in attempts to make things even. Barry made the connection on her fourth attempt with an assist from Corinna Zullo, tying things back up 2-2 in the 81st minute.
South Carolina would go on to make three more tries throughout the remainder of the game, but the Clemson defense was able to hold them back in the last 10 minutes of play to end things in a draw. The tie is South Carolina’s second of the season (second in series history), and Clemson’s two goals were the first allowed in the 2022 campaign.
The Tigers ended with a 19-12 shot advantage, with senior goalkeeper Heather Hinz recording a season-high eight saves.
5,330 fans were in attendance, marking the sixth-largest crowd in Stone Stadium’s history.
UP NEXT
South Carolina will stay home to take on Furman on Sunday, Sept. 4 at 2:00 p.m. in Stone Stadium.
