Behind the two goals scored by junior forward Savannah McCaskill, the South Carolina women’s soccer team was able to pull the upset over the sixth seeded Clemson Tigers.
South Carolina (4-0-1) came into this game riding the momentum of a three-game winning streak, and with the support of an electric crowd, was able to ride this momentum and energy towards an early lead. In the 36th minute, Anna Conklin sent a beautiful cross in from outside the box on the left side of the field. McCaskill was able to get just enough of a head on it to send it over the extended arms of the goalie, and floating into the top right corner of the net. The header gave the Gamecocks a 1-0 lead.
But that would not be the only time that McCaskill was able to find to find the back of the net, as not even four minutes into the second half she was able to sneak another by the Clemson goalie. Sophie Groff was able to send a flick pass in to McCaskill, giving her a one on one with the keeper that she was able to finish. Her second goal for the night gave South Carolina a commanding 2-0 lead.
Clemson would respond with a goal of their own before the night was over. Sam Staab, a sophomore midfielder, was able to find the top left corner of the net for Clemson on a shot from 28 yards out. This would bring the score to 2-1 with 12 minutes to go. The score would stay this way for the rest of the match, although the Tigers would get one more good chance to tie the game in the 84th minute on a floating shot by Mac Smith, a shot that was saved for Carolina by keeper Mikayla Krzeczowski. That save would seal the victory for the Gamecocks.
With this win, the Gamecocks were able to extend their winning streak and make an even stronger case for why they should be ranked in the top 25. Clemson in turn will likely drop in the rankings after their second loss on the season.