No. 16 South Carolina women’s soccer team defeated the Miami University Redhawks 2-0 at Stone Stadium on Aug. 24. South Carolina’s victory marks the first time it has defeated the Redhawks in program history.
The win by the Gamecocks also marks the first time since 2021 that it has won each of its first four games outright.
South Carolina struck the first 10 minutes into the match off of a flick-on header by sophomore forward Katie Shea Collins. The Gamecocks created the scoring chance off a free kick set piece which resulted in senior defender/forward Micah Bryant crossing the ball to a scoring Collins.
The Gamecocks almost extended its lead in the 28th minute when freshman midfielder Alexa Pino hit the crossbar off a free kick of her own.
Outside of Collins’ early goal, neither team found the back of the net during the remainder of the half. Despite having just one goal to show, the Gamecocks dominated the Redhawks in time of possession, shots and corner kicks during the first half.
South Carolina quickly extended its lead to 2-0 a little over a minute into the second half after Collins forced a handball in the box. Consequently, junior midfielder Cuyler Zulauf buried the kick into the bottom left corner.
Zulauf almost struck again in the 61st minute off a solid scoring opportunity off a crossed ball, but Miami’s junior goalkeeper Dominique Popa made a nice save by flicking the ball over the woodwork. This was one of South Carolina’s 16 shots of the game and eight shots on frame.
South Carolina preserved its lead for the remainder of the game to win the match 2-0.
Refusing to play from behind
Collins’ early goal marks the fourth straight time that South Carolina has scored the opening goal of a match this season. The Gamecocks’ ability to strike first has set the team up for success and has led to an undefeated record this season.
Through 360 minutes of play so far this season, the Gamecocks have yet to trail an opponent. South Carolina was able to keep its lead against the Miami Redhawks by dominating time of possession while consistently keeping the ball on the offensive half of the field.
Stellar defense
Through its first four games of the season, the South Carolina defense has shown that it is a very difficult group to score against. Senior goalkeeper Christina Tsaousis has recorded three clean sheets while only giving up one goal so far this season.
During the match, the Redhawks were unable to muster any shots during the 90 minutes of play.
Collins continues to impress
After finishing second on the team in points last season, Collins has emerged as a star of the offense for her sophomore campaign. And so far this year, Collins has picked up right where she left off as she has found the back of the net three times in four games.
The second year standout contributed to both of South Carolina’s goals during its victory against the Redhawks.
What’s next?
No. 16 South Carolina women’s soccer looks to stay undefeated when it visits rival Clemson Tigers on Aug. 28. Kickoff is set for 7 p.m. and will be streamed on the ACC Network+.