The No. 10 Gamecock women's soccer team drew with the No. 7 Arkansas Razorbacks in a 2-2 game at Stone Stadium on Thursday night.
The first half had an abundance of fouls followed by free kicks. The Gamecocks were able to seize multiple corner kick opportunities, leaving them in control of the game for minutes at a time.
The first goal of the night was scored in the 10th minute by senior defender Taylor Bloom with an assist from junior midfielder Cuyler Zulauf off of a corner kick. The Gamecocks built up play and eventually were able to get a corner kick out of it.
The Razorbacks tried to answer the Gamecocks, but their shot was unable to find the back of the net, with senior goalkeeper Christina Tsaousis knocking the ball over the top of the goal.
After multiple free kick and corner kick opportunities from both teams, the Razorbacks were able to obtain a goal to make the score 1-1 at the end of the first half after a goal from junior forward Bella Field.
The second half began with a series of free-kick attempts from the Gamecocks, with both teams unable to break past the other team's defense. The Razorbacks eventually found their second goal of the night in the 57th minute, when freshman forward Vailana Tu'ua scored a goal to take a 2-1 lead.
The Gamecocks tied the game in the 81st minute when senior defender Gracie Falla scored a goal with the assist coming from sophomore forward Katie Shea Collins and sophomore midfielder Kylie Cino. This was Falla's first goal of the season.
A series of Gamecock corner kicks followed the goal by Falla, but they were not able to produce any results for the team. This left the clock to run out, making this the Gamecocks' third tie of the season.
Offense comes up clutch
The Gamecocks were able to make crucial offensive plays against the Razorbacks, including making long passes downfield, building up possession through well-executed passing sequences, and capitalizing off of set pieces.
Bloom was able to score after an extended series of counterattacks, which led to an eventual set piece from the corner for South Carolina.
Falla scored in a similar way, with the Gamecocks connecting on downfield passes, which allowed Collins to make a cross inside the penalty box, putting pressure on the Arkansas defense.
Defense prevails
South Carolina experienced repeated counterattacks from Arkansas throughout the game. The Gamecocks only gave up two goals despite 11 shots from the Razorbacks.
With this relentless attacking offense from Arkansas, the Gamecocks had to rely on their defense's resiliency as a team to make timely clears and saves and to allow chances for their own offense to score.
Bloom battles back
Bloom took some major hits tonight against the Razorbacks, from almost flipping over a Razorback defender to being knocked off her feet during shot attempts.
Bloom commented after the game about a reason she was able to keep on fighting tonight was the support her teammates have for her and the team's overall ability to grind in these close contests.
"Every time I get knocked down, they're all right behind me to get back up," Bloom said. "I think them having my back, it really just gives me that confidence and strength to get back up and keep going for them."
Bloom played all 90 minutes against the Razorbacks, which allowed her the opportunities to score and make plays on defense in the moments that count.
What's next?
The Gamecock women's soccer team will travel to Auburn, Alabama, to face the Auburn Tigers on Oct. 5. The game will kick off at 2 p.m. and will be streamed on ESPN+.