Gamecocks thrash ECU, fall to Duke
The weekend started with a bang for USC's women's soccer team, but the Gamecocks couldn't quite close it the way they would've liked.
After kicking off the 2011 season with a 4-0 thrashing at East Carolina Friday night, No. 21 South Carolina faltered on Sunday, falling 2-0 at the hands of No. 12 Duke.
"It was a step forward that we need to get to before we start conference play," said coach Shelley Smith in a release. "This is the kind of game we want on our schedule to challenge ourselves. We played a great Duke team. They're a tremendous team."
Starting the season on the road for the second year in a row, the Gamecocks had little trouble putting ECU away. After the Pirates were called for a foul in their box in the 29th minute, All-American forward Kayla Grimsley notched her first goal of the season on the ensuing penalty kick, putting Carolina up 1-0.
The second half saw similar pressure from the USC offense, this time yielding better success. Gaining possession of the ball in the ECU box in the 68th minute, sophomore Gabrielle Gilbert managed to place it in the lower left corner to give the Gamecocks a 2-0 lead.
Carolina struck again four minutes later. Pushing past the ECU defense on a breakaway, sophomore Danielle Au found the back of the net with a shot to the lower right corner to give USC a 3-0 advantage. Senior Maria Petroni then capped off the victory in the 90th minute by taking the ball the length of the field for the Gamecocks' fourth score of the night.
"We have several players we can go to and rely on to finish chances," Smith said. "That's going to make us better. Obviously Kayla will be a big part of building the offense throughout the year, but for her to free up balls for her teammates to make chances will make us that much better."
Freshman Sabrina D'Angelo earned the majority of minutes as goalkeeper in the season opener, playing 76 minutes and making four saves in the process. The Gamecock defense also provided a strong performance, containing the Pirates' attack early on before holding them to just three shots in the second half.
"I'm thrilled that we came away with a great victory," Smith said. "It was a learning curve for us, so we're happy to get through the first-half jitters without giving up a goal. To come out the second half and play so much better, I'm pleased with the overall performance in what we could do to improve from kickoff to the final whistle."
After the offensive barrage on Friday, Sunday's match at Duke fell on the other end of the spectrum. The Blue Devils didn't waste time jumping out in front. In the eighth minute, midfielder Nicole Lipp gained possession of the ball 25 yards from the goal and fired a shot off the right post that ricocheted past D'Angelo to give Duke an early 1-0 lead.
The second strike also came from outside the box. After a save on the other end on a shot by midfielder Kortney Rhoades in the 65th minute, Duke midfielder Kaitlyn Kerr managed to find the net from 20 yards out, putting the Blue Devils ahead for good with a 2-0 advantage.
Duke controlled the match from a shots standpoint, outshooting the Gamecocks 17-8 and 13-2 in the first half. Rhoades led Carolina with three shots, two of which were on goal, while Grimsley was held to no shots on the day.
"The first half we were hesitant and didn't put enough pressure on Duke. Credit to them to find a chance from range," Smith said. "I felt we adjusted at halftime and came out and played a better half. We're going to learn from this."