The South Carolina Gamecocks women’s soccer team won 1-0 against the No. 25 Ohio State Buckeyes on Thursday night at Stone Stadium. This marks South Carolina's first win against the Ohio State in the second appearance between the two teams in program history.
The game started with Ohio State testing South Carolina’s defense as the team shot five times in the first 10 minutes of the game. The Buckeyes were unsuccessful though as it only had one shot on goal that was saved by senior goalkeeper Christiana Tsaousis.
The Gamecocks would find some momentum as it earned two corner kicks within two minutes but neither turned into shots on the goal. Both teams substituted off the bench following the corner kick with South Carolina bringing in sophomore defenders Madden McDonald and Jyvanna Harris.
In the 40th minute, ju
nior midfielder Maggie Taitano committed a foul that led to a free kick for Ohio State but no shot from the Buckeyes. Sophomore forward Katie Shae Collins attempted the first shot on goal for the Gamecocks but aimed too high, missing the goal.
The first half ended with a corner kick from the Gamecocks to end the first half with a score of 0-0.
South Carolina opened the second half with the ball and drove down the field for a goal from freshman forward Mackenzie Johnson assisted by McDonald to give the Gamecocks a 1-0 lead. Ohio State followed the goal with a shot attempt from junior midfielder Elle Britt.
South Carolina remained in control as the team kept the ball on its side of the field and earned a corner kick in the 50th minute. The game stopped as redshirt sophomore defender Nette-Nina Hiltunen suffered a head injury and was substituted out for freshman forward Callie Tumilty.
Johnson attempted another shot on the goal that was saved by Ohio State senior goalkeeper Molly Pritchard. Both senior defenders Gracie Falla and Taylor Bloom committed fouls as the second half went on.
Falla’s foul led to a free kick from sophomore forward Jacinda Bonham who followed her shot to attempt a shot on goal that was saved by Tsaousis at the 59th minute. Britt also had a shot on goal saved by Tsaousis after Bloom’s foul.
The Gamecocks continued to remain in control of the game over the Buckeyes and had consecutive shots from sophomore midfielder Kylie Cino and freshman forward Ava Tutas. Ohio State remained aggressive, trying to tie things up with a shot from sophomore defender Anika Poremba that was blocked.
To end the game, there were five fouls in six minutes including a yellow card against Falla at the 82nd minute. After the yellow card, junior forward Amanda Schlueter missed a shot in the final minute to secure the shutout for the Gamecocks.
Second half turnaround
In the first half, the Gamecocks spent most of its time on defense as the offense struggled to get going. South Carolina was only able to get three shots compared to Ohio State's seven. Two of the three shots were on the goal but were either missed or saved by the opposing goalkeeper.
To start the second half, the Gamecocks started with the ball and wasted no time as Johnson scored within the first minute to take the lead. From there, South Carolina more than doubled the amount of shots in the second half from three to seven and limited Ohio State to six shots.
The Gamecocks also were able to earn four corner kicks compared to the Buckeyes' two. South Carolina's early score in the second half allowed it to control the pace and be more aggressive in the second half.
Strong Defense
South Carolina held Ohio State to a shutout for its second one of the season. While the Buckeyes outshot the Gamecocks 13-10, it only allowed four shots on the goal.
Despite the Buckeyes shooting 13 shots compared to South Carolina’s 10, the Gamecock defense held up and South Carolina’s defense improved as the game went on and didn’t allow any shots on goal in the last 24 minutes of the game.
Tsaousis saved four shots on goal over the course of the game to ensure the shutout.
Johnson off to a hot start
Johnson scored the first goal of the season for the Gamecocks in its opener against the College of Charleston and has continued to do well on offense so far this season.
The freshman leads in shots with three and scored the only goal of the game tonight. Johnson's ability to keep the pressure on the defense helped secure the win today.
What’s next?
The South Carolina women’s soccer team will play again on Aug. 24 against the Miami (OH) Redhawks at Stone Stadium. The game will begin at 1 p.m. on SEC Network +.