Alabama
7-2-0 (0-1-0)
South Carolina
7-1-0 (1-0-0)
Alabama Soccer Falls to No. 3 South Carolina, 1-0, in SEC Opener
9/15/2017 8:59:00 PM | Soccer
The Tide’s five-game win streak is interrupted by a 1-0 decision in Columbia, S.C.
COLUMBIA, S.C. –No. 19/RV Alabama women's soccer fell to No. 3 South Carolina, 1-0, on Fridaynight at the Eugene E. Stone III Stadium in its opening Southeastern Conference match of the year.
"Obviously I am disappointed with the result," coach Wes Hart said. "But I could not be more proud of the effort our team showed. To play the way we did against the No. 3 team in the country on the road shows that we are close! While they may have had more possessions, we hit the crossbar three times and did not allow them many chances."
After the first half ended in a deadlock, the Gamecocks tallied the lone goal of the match in the 76th minute on a penalty kick. The Crimson Tide (7-2, 0-1) suffered its second loss of the season while South Carolina (7-1, 1-0) recorded its fifth consecutive victory.
In conference openers, Alabama is now 11-11-2 and drops to 5-5-1 when those matches are on the road.
Freshman Casey Wertz led the offensive charge for the Tide recording three shots with two on frame, and senior goalkeeper Kat Stratton made two saves in 90:00 minutes.
In front of a packed house, the Gamecock challenged Alabama's defense early, launching the first shot on goal in the first three minutes, but the Tide attacked back with a shot of their own that sailed just high of the crossbar.
In the tenth minute, the Tide threatened to take the lead firing back-to-back shots on goal off the foot of Wertz, but USC's keeper denied both attacks to keep the game at zero apiece.
Eager to score, South Carolina earned several chances to strike the board with a trio of corner kicks, but all of the attempts were stopped by Stratton.
The defensive showdown continued to dominate the half as both teams held equal possession of the ball, but the SEC foes were able to tame each other's offensive outbursts to end the half scoreless.
The Gamecocks opened the second stanza with a corner kick, hoping to start the half with some momentum, but Stratton denied the attempt and jabbed the ball out of the box.
Less than 15 minutes later, the Tide drew a foul ten feet outside the box and senior Chatham DeProspo took a shot on goal on the set piece, but the ball ricocheted off the crossbar and fell short of crossing the goal line.
Then in the 76th minute, USC scored the first goal of the match on a penalty kick after drawing a foul outside of the 6-yard box.
With three minutes left on the clock, Alabama tried to rally back into the game with a free kick and corner, but the attempts failed to fall in the net and the match ended with the Gamecocks on top.
Despite registering two saves and South Carolina successfully netting its penalty kick, Stratton was a huge factor in keeping the game close. The Gamecocks mustered up multiple scoring opportunities on its nine shots and nine corners, but Stratton stopped all off USC's plays from developing by shutting out USC in the first half, punching the attempts away from the frame or catching the crosses out of the sky.
Alabama returns to the pitch on Sunday, Sept. 17 at 5:00 p.m. CT to conclude non-conference play against Chattanooga at the Alabama Soccer Complex.
Get all the latest information on the team by following @AlabamaSoccer on Twitter and Facebook and AlabamaSoccer on Instagram. General athletic news can also be found at UA_Athletics on Twitter and Instagram and AlabamaAthletics on Facebook.
Team Stats
LANE, Lindsey (1)
USC LANE, Lindsey PENALTY KICK GOAL, goal number 1 for season.
75:59
