Gamecocks rally after loss to Kentucky
Nearly 48 hours after being shut out by Kentucky, South Carolina's offense came back to life in Sunday's matchup against Vanderbilt.
Playing before a national audience on ESPNU, the Gamecocks scored twice in the first five minutes and never looked back from there, rebounding from a 1-0 defeat on Friday to knock off the Commodores 3-0.
"You go through that drought where you just feel like you can't score," coach Shelley Smith said. "We made a commitment today to turn that around. I'm very proud of the way the team responded after Friday's disappointment and how they came out and put [Vanderbilt] away early."
The first goal came just seconds into the third minute. Targeted on an Ali Whitney corner kick, Maria Petroni drilled a header into the top right corner for her third goal of the season, giving Carolina an early 1-0 lead.
Two minutes later, Kortney Rhoades fielded the ball just outside the box on a deflection from another corner kick and chipped it to Lolly Holland at the left post. Holland managed to head it past the gloves of Vandy keeper Alexa Levick for her third goal of the year, improving the lead to 2-0.
"[Scoring early] just changes the game," Smith said. "It really just puts a lot of pressure on the team that's down, and at the same time, puts less pressure on the team that's scoring. The fact that we had those opportunities and finished them made a big difference the rest of the way."
The Commodores came out strong in the second half, posting three shots in the opening minutes while also earning a pair of corner kicks. The Gamecocks managed to quell any comeback attempt, however, keeping Vandy scoreless over the course of the short surge.
Freshman keeper Sabrina D'Angelo provided another impressive showing, making three saves in the midst of the shutout, including a crucial deflection on a long shot in the 42nd minute that maintained the 2-0 lead.
"She's just been at the top of her game," Smith said. "I guess that's what we expect out of her at this point because of the talent she is and what she's done already up to now. She had another great game, and that shows what a tremendous keeper she is. She comes out to play and keeps you in the game."
Hermann Trophy candidate Kayla Grimsley added one more goal in the waning moments of the match. Going one-on-one with a Vandy defender, Grimsley managed to find space on the left side of the box and fired a shot into the lower right corner. The goal was her sixth of the season and secured the 3-0 victory.
"We came off a tough loss on Friday where we didn't come out the way we wanted to," Grimsley said. "Coming out and scoring two goals in the first five minutes really set the tone and let everybody know that we were ready to play today."
USC's scoring barrage came after a 14-shot performance against the Wildcats that had no goals to show for it. UK managed to find the back of the net in the 42nd minute, which ultimately proved to be the difference in the match.
"I knew our group would respond and understand [Friday's performance] wasn't good enough, and they did that," Smith said. "That's the kind of group they are. They rally around each other and play hard for each other. That's been a theme for them this year. Hopefully now we'll just continue to build on those kinds of lessons and not have those lapses."