The Daily Gamecock

Analysis: No. 8 Gamecock women's soccer team defeated by Kentucky Wildcats 3-2

<p>Freshman forward Mackenzie Johnson competes with an Ole Miss player for possession of the incoming ball in Eugene E. Stone III Stadium on Sept. 18, 2025. Johnson had two shots and one assist in the 4-0 win against Ole Miss.&nbsp;</p>
Freshman forward Mackenzie Johnson competes with an Ole Miss player for possession of the incoming ball in Eugene E. Stone III Stadium on Sept. 18, 2025. Johnson had two shots and one assist in the 4-0 win against Ole Miss. 

The No. 8 Gamecock women's soccer team (10-2-4) was defeated 3-2 by the Kentucky Wildcats (10-4-2) at the Wendell & Vickie Bell Soccer Complex in Lexington, Kentucky, on Thursday night. 

The first half started with defensive action from both teams. A Gamecock corner kick started off the offense and was followed by a Kentucky foul that kept the ball in play.

The Wildcats scored the first goal of the night. However, it went under review and was overturned for offside.

Despite the overturned goal, the Wildcats maintained offensive momentum with a successful shot into the top right of the goal by sophomore forward Kendall Campbell assisted by sophomore defender Anna Sikorski to make the score 1-0. 

A Wildcat corner kick followed the goal and was turned into a successful shot through defenders not long after. Senior midfielder Thalia Morisi scored with an assist from senior midfielder Catherine Rapp, increasing the lead to 2-0. 

A series of saves from senior goalkeeper Christina Tsaousis and missed shot attempts followed. The Wildcats received a penalty kick after senior defender Gracie Falla found herself going over the shoulders of a Wildcat defender. Freshman defender Gabi Poretto scored on the penalty kick, making the score 3-0 for the Wildcats at 32 minutes. 

Junior forward Reagan Schubach and senior defender Taylor Bloom were each given a yellow card for fouls against Wildcat defenders. This left the Gamecocks to defend themselves against another penalty kick and counterattacks from missed shot attempts.

The Gamecocks got on the board after a corner kick into the bottom right of the net by freshman forward Mackenzie Johnson with an assist from sophomore defender Jyvanna Harris.

A cleared ball by a Wildcat defender ended the half, leaving the score at 3-1 in favor of Kentucky.

A series of fouls and free kicks started the second half and continued until a collision between Poretto and sophomore forward Katie Shea Collins stopped play. Collins was injured on the play and escorted off the field after taking a hard landing on her left shoulder.

The Gamecocks were awarded a penalty kick following the collision. Junior midfielder Cuyler Zulauf scored a goal on the bottom left of the net, making the score 3-2 after 79 minutes.

Cleared shot attempts followed, and a collision between Johnson and Poretto left the Wildcat defender with a yellow card to end the game.

Control in the midfield

The Gamecock midfielders were able to defend against the Wildcats when it came to stealing the ball away and getting it to the back of the field to be in scoring position. 

Zulauf was able to take the ball away from the Wildcats, get through defenders and pass it to teammates for multiple shot attempts. 

Graduate midfielder Anna Young made strong offensive plays and got through the Wildcat defense to get the ball closer to the net and set up crucial plays for the Gamecocks.

Gamecock grit

The Gamecocks fought their way to the net against the Wildcat defense in order to score and put pressure on the Kentucky lead.

As a result of the collision between Poretto and Collins, the Gamecocks’ penalty kick changed the momentum of the game and allowed them to avoid a shutout.

The Gamecocks continued to fight after the goal by stopping the Wildcat offense in multiple counterattacks and moving the ball downfield through defenders in long plays. This gave the Gamecocks leverage to stay agile against the Wildcats and put up four shot attempts and two corner kicks.

Hope for the rest of the regular season

The regular season is coming to a close, but there is still hope for a strong finish by the Gamecocks. In the game, theGamecocks proved that strong plays are set up by the forwards, as multiple plays found their momentum from players such as Collins and Johnson.

Gamecock defenders such as Bloom and Falla proved to be a driving force for plays in the backfield and keeping the ball away from possible shot attempts.

This strategy has proven to be effective in making strong plays, as the Gamecocks are ranked No. 5 in the SEC (4-1-3) and No. 8 in the NCAA (10-2-4).

What's next?

The Gamecock women's soccer team will play the Texas A&M Aggies at Stone Stadium on Oct. 19 at 6 p.m. The game will be broadcast on SEC Network+.


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