Tigers overcome Gamecocks with goal in second overtime
South Carolina and Clemson could hardly have been more evenly matched when the two teams faced off at Stone Stadium on Saturday. But for the Gamecocks, the result could hardly have been more disappointing.
With 28 seconds left in the second overtime period, Clemson forward Liska Dobberstein scored the only goal of the game to lift her team to a 1-0 victory, snapping USC's four-year win streak.
"I think our girls were tough, physical, they gave it all," said head coach Shelley Smith. "We made a crucial mistake at the end to let them get the service off, but we're learning and getting better every time we step out. How we respond to a loss like this is a sign of a good team, and I know we'll bounce back."
Although USC's roster includes only three players from South Carolina, Courtney Angotti-Smith, a native of Goose Creek, S.C., said winning the rivalry match was a matter of pride for the team.
"It was important to win," the freshman forward said. "Beating Clemson is a better feeling than anything else, and it would have been great to have that win on the home field ... We just need to come back next game, recover, do what we can do for next week and get ready for SEC [play]."
The Gamecocks' defense kept the Tigers' offense at bay for most of the game, not allowing a shot throughout the entire first half. Each team finished regulation time with seven shots. Sophomore Sabrina D'Angelo, in her first game for USC this season, recorded two saves.
"Defensively, I thought we did very well," Smith said. "We held them to very few opportunities. It was a game that we didn't deserve to lose for sure. Credit Clemson [for hanging] in there and [finishing] their opportunity. That's what these games come down to."
South Carolina struggled to create opportunities on offense, and Smith said adjustments the team tried to make throughout the game never came together. Four offside calls against the Gamecocks cut potential rallies short, but exhaustion was also a major factor in the shutout.
"We needed to keep the ball more," Smith said. "When we passed the ball, we looked very good. When we kicked it forward, we were too tired and couldn't run after it. You have to be smarter when you're getting tired. It was just taking care of the ball. That's something we're getting better at, but it needed to be better [Saturday] to get the win."
USC has just one more game before conference play begins against Mississippi State on Sept. 14. Smith said the team will use the experience from Saturday's game to prepare for its demanding SEC schedule.
"They have to decide how they're going to react," Smith said. "We're a good team, and we learn from these kinds of things. It's not always easy. How you react is what the sign of a good team is. I believe we're better than that. It's just a matter of coming out and making sure we do things right for 90 minutes and into overtime.
"We have to make sure we gut it out until the very end," Smith continued. "This is a young team, and we're learning. These are battles. We'll be battle-tested going into SEC play, which is what this is all about."