USC beats Arizona in double overtime, loses to Arizona State
The Gamecocks found themselves in a pair of down-to-the-wire thrillers during their weekend road trip to the Grand Canyon State. As sweet as game one's result was, however, the second fell on the opposite end of the spectrum.
Less than 48 hours after topping Arizona 1-0 with a game-winning goal in double overtime, South Carolina came up just short against Arizona State, losing 1-0 while having a goal at the final buzzer ruled late by the officials.
Game one was evenly matched through the first 45 minutes, with both teams posting three shots apiece before the match went into halftime. From there, it was unclear whether the match would continue that night, with lightning in the area delaying the game for 45 minutes.
After resuming play, the match remained even, with both sides managing one shot on goal. Senior midfielder Kortney Rhoades nearly put the Gamecocks on the board with a shot in the 75th minute, but Arizona goalkeeper Ashley Jett managed to haul it in, keeping the two sides deadlocked as the match moved into golden goal overtime.
The Wildcats nearly put an end to the match in the opening minutes of the first overtime period, getting a shot off from just outside the box. Freshman goalkeeper Sabrina D'Angelo kept the Gamecocks alive, however, knocking the shot away to maintain the scoreless tie.
In the second overtime, Carolina finally got the play it needed. Receiving a pass back from sophomore forward Danielle Au, freshman defender Ali Whitney launched a shot from 30 yards, sailing past Jett to give the Gamecocks their second victory of the season.
Two days later, USC traveled 111 miles north to face the Sun Devils, just under a year after tying them in an overtime matchup in Columbia. Both sides were fairly quiet throughout the first half, but Carolina nearly went into the break with a one-goal lead after senior forward Kayla Grimsley put a shot on goal in the 44th minute. ASU keeper Vittoria Arnold made the save, however, keeping the match scoreless after 45 minutes.
The Sun Devils got on the board in the 60th minute on a strike from forward Nicki Stone. After sophomore goalkeeper Darien Vercillo managed to deflect free kick, Stone gathered the rebound and tapped it in to give ASU a 1-0 lead.
The already physical match got even chippier from there, with both sides receiving team yellow cards for sideline comments to the officials. Both teams combined for 26 fouls on the afternoon with a total of five yellow cards.
USC nearly got on the board in the 86th minute when Grimsley managed to get a shot off moments after senior forward Maria Petroni stole the ball from ASU keeper Alyssa Gillmore, but Gillmore recovered quickly, dropping back in time to make the save and maintain the one-goal advantage.
With the final seconds on the clock ticking away, Au appeared to knot things up with a shot off a Whitney corner kick, but upon review, the officials ruled the ball crossed the end line after the final buzzer sounded, allowing Arizona State to escape with a 1-0 victory.