Demon Deacons win first match in Columbia since postseason thriller in 2009
Wake Forest didn't need a buzzer-beating goal to escape with a win from Stone Stadium this time around.
Making their first appearance in Columbia since knocking South Carolina out of the 2009 NCAA Tournament on a last-second header, the Demon Deacons avoided the late-game heroics with a pair of scores in regulation, allowing them to leave the Palmetto State with a 2-0 victory on Sunday.
"I thought we played a tremendous Wake team," said USC coach Shelley Smith. "We were in the match and did some very good things, so I was pleased with our performance. Unfortunately, we gave up some goals that were unlike us and just can't happen. Great credit to Wake to finish their chances."
Wake Forest jumped out in front in the waning moments of the first half. After maintaining possession for much of the period, the Deacons finally found the back of the net on a shot from junior midfielder Ally Berry. Receiving the ball in the middle of the USC box, Berry fired it into the top right corner, giving Wake Forest a 1-0 advantage heading into the break.
The Deacons put the match away for good in the 69th minute. Running onto a through-ball from Berry at the top of the USC box, preseason All-American Katie Stengel managed to redirect the ball into the back of the net, giving Wake Forest a comfortable 2-0 lead the rest of the way.
"When you make one or two mistakes, [goals] happen," Smith said. "We can't give a good team those chances. For us to battle each other in the box on that first goal and then let it drop to them is a mistake, and we need to get better at that. Otherwise, we were solid. We just need to take care of the little things."
Standing out despite the loss was the performance of freshman goalkeeper Sabrina D'Angelo, who made her return to the starting lineup for the first time since injuring her ankle at Clemson last weekend. Matched against a talented Wake Forest offense, D'Angelo came up with five crucial saves, including back-to-back deflections in the opening moments of the second half and a big stop on Stengel in a one-on-one play in the 78th minute.
"She was tremendous," Smith said. "She really had a couple of big-time saves. That's what you need out of your goalkeepers, and she did it today. It was so nice to have her come off being out for a couple games and be able to jump right in there when she was under pressure. She did a great job, especially being a freshman."
The ankle injury was reported as a minor one, and D'Angelo said it didn't create any issues as the match went along.
"It felt good. I was busy most of the game, so my mind wasn't really on it," she said. "They were a great team. I think once we train and practice a little bit more we'll be able to stop teams like that."
The Gamecocks kicked off their first full home weekend of the season with an overtime thriller against Charlotte on Thursday. Trailing 1-0 with less than 10 minutes to play, Lolly Holland fielded a pass from Kortney Rhoades in the middle of the 49er box and fired it into the right corner, knotting things up before the end of regulation.
All-American forward Kayla Grimsley didn't wait long after to complete the comeback, scoring the game-winner just 31 seconds into extra time for her fourth goal of the season.
"We had opportunity after opportunity, and it didn't go in our favor, but we kept fighting," Grimsley said. "It's tough to have to take it to overtime, but to come back from a 1-0 deficit and end up winning is pretty awesome."