The No. 13 South Carolina women’s soccer team won 1-0 against the LSU Tigers, with freshman forward Reagan Schubach scoring the game winner.
In the early moments of the game, LSU looked like the aggressor, but as the half continued, the Gamecocks started to get more comfortable. By the end of the half it managed to put up nine shots compared to LSU’s one. Despite the advantage, South Carolina was unable to find the back of the net.
“That's the thing with us, I mean we were putting ourselves in good positions and eventually you're gonna get one,” South Carolina head coach Shelley Smith said. “That's what you gotta continue to do is knock on the door.”
The closest the Gamecocks came to scoring in the first half was in the 29th minute, when junior midfielder Lily Render had a shot towards the bottom left corner that LSU's graduate student goalkeeper Mollee Swift was able to save.
The start of the second half played out much like the first half, with the Gamecocks taking a few minutes to settle in. Sophomore defender Gracie Falla received a yellow card in the 49th minute, yet LSU was not able to capitalize off the foul.
South Carolina was able to break the seal in the 55th minute of the second half, as Schubach shot the ball just above the goalkeeper's arms and into the side netting to put the Gamecocks up one. Then, in the 60th minute, she nearly had a second goal, but she missed just high and hit the crossbar.
Schubach has now scored in back-to-back games for the Gamecocks and has six goals on the season.
“I think what's helped me succeed the most is just my teammates' support," Schubach said. "They're always just encouraging me to be at my best and just keep working hard, and it's really helped me as a player.”
Following the goal, LSU began to put more offensive pressure on the Gamecocks, putting up five shots against the defense. Despite this, the Gamecocks still had an opportunity to put the game away in the 82nd minute when senior forward Catherine Barry broke free through LSU's backline. But she ultimately put the ball over the net.
Despite South Carolina's missed chance and LSU's offensive pressure, fifth-year goalkeeper Heather Hinz managed to keep the Tigers scoreless for her fifth clean sheet of the season.
“She’s a great goalkeeper, and definitely it's a huge advantage to have someone behind you that defense is confident in. She comes up with big saves when we need it,” Smith said.
Schubach and the rest of Gamecocks will take on the Missouri Tigers in Columbia, Missouri at 4 p.m. Sunday. The game will be available to stream on SEC Network+.