The No. 15 Gamecock women's soccer team (8-1-1) beat the Ole Miss Rebels (4-2-1) in a 4-0 victory at Stone Stadium on Thursday night.
Sophomore forward Katie Shea Collins scored the first goal of the game after a minute of play with help from freshman forward Mackenzie Johnson. The goal went under review due to a potential offside but was later confirmed as successful.
Collins was able to score the second goal of the night under two minutes after with an assist from sophomore midfielder Avery Galante. This made the score 2-0 after only three minutes of playing time.
The Gamecock defense stifled the Rebels' offense as senior goalkeeper Christina Tsaousis recorded a save to keep the 2-0 lead.
Collins scored again for South Carolina to make it 3-0 in the first half with seven minutes of play left. This was the third hat trick of her career, breaking the record of most by a player in program history.
The first half ended with a 3-0 score in favor of the Gamecocks.
South Carolina opened the second half with defensive pressure against the Rebels and mass substitutions, including substituting in sophomore goalkeeper Emma Kirlin for the rest of the game.
The Gamecock defense was able to get stops defensively and respond with a fourth goal as an Ole Miss defender deflected the ball into their own net.
The game clock was stopped by on-field treatment for an injured Johnson. She was able to receive further treatment off-field and the game returned to normal play.
Five more shots were saved in the second half by Kirlin to secure the shutout, allowing the Gamecocks a 4-0 win over the Rebels.
The impact of good footwork
The technical skills of the Gamecock women's soccer team have proven to be the most significant factor in enabling it to play well offensively. This comes down to practicing precise footwork in order to move, pass and steal the ball efficiently.
The amount of work put into making technical movements a part of regular play is evident, especially in-game against the Rebels.
From counterattacks to hat tricks, the women's soccer team was efficient on offense, scoring a season-high four goals.
An impenetrable force
The Gamecock women's soccer team has increased the intensity of its defensive possession, making it a hard opponent to move the ball against to score.
In the game against the Rebels, saves from both Gamecock goalkeepers and counterattacks within the midfield helped the team to keep longer possessions and ultimately allowed it to have a total of 13 shot attempts within the game, resulting in four goals.
This is in comparison to just 10 shot attempts by the Rebels, resulting in a shutout. It's the seventh shutout of the season as the Gamecocks continues to dominate on the defensive end.
Star of the game
Collins led the team in goals tonight with three. She cemented herself in Gamecock history by setting a record for the most hat tricks in program history.
Last season, Collins also had the second-fastest goal in program history. As her career has progressed, she's continued to improve and has been a leader on the offensive side of the ball.
She also leads the team in goals this season with seven as a sophomore and looks to continue her great start as the season continues.
What's next?
The Gamecock women's soccer team will play the Florida Gators in Gainesville, Florida, on Sept. 21 at 4 p.m. The game will be broadcast on the SEC Network+.