Thursday, October 6
Starkville
7:00 PM
Mississippi State
6-7-0, 1-5-0
0
vs
1
#4 South Carolina
12-0-1, 6-0-0
1
2
F
South Carolina
0
1
1
Mississippi State
0
0
0
Bulldogs take fourth-ranked Gamecocks to the wire.
No. 4 South Carolina Escapes MSU With Win
October 06, 2016 | Soccer
STARKVILLE, Miss. – For almost 80 minutes the Bulldogs (6-7-0, 1-5-0 SEC) and fourth-ranked Gamecocks (12-0-1) were equals, but Mississippi State's valiant effort was overcome as South Carolina prevailed, 1-0, on Thursday night.
MSU and No. 4 USC were locked in a dead heat in front of an energetic crowd at the MSU Soccer Field, but USC's Sophie Groff earned the game-winning goal in the 79th minute to lift the Gamecocks to their 12th win of the season.
"I told our team that they gave an outstanding effort tonight and they had nothing to be ashamed of," head coach Aaron Gordon said. "We took one of the best team's in the nation to the wire and that's something to be proud about. We're going to take what we've learned tonight and use it as fuel for the future."
The Bulldogs and Gamecocks were scoreless for the entire first half, as State played with great energy on the offensive end. The half ended however with USC holding a 12-2 advantage in shots, with both of MSU's attempts being scoring threats.
In the second half the Bulldogs began to clamp down on the Gamecock attack as MSU held the visitors to only four shots for the entire second half. For a brief moment it seemed like Thursday's game would enter extra time, but USC's Groff connected on a pass from Lindsey Lane that was set up by Chelsea Drennan for the go-ahead score.
The win for USC continued its 12-game winning streak as the Gamecocks escaped Starkville with the win.
De Souza Records Career-High
Goalkeeper Tanya de Souza collected eight saves on Thursday night, giving the junior 65 for the season. The total surpasses her career-high of 60 set in 2015, with five games still to be played. Before tonight's contest, de Souza was ranked fourth in the SEC for total saves on the season.
Goal Scoring Rundown
USC – (79:46) Sophie Groff earned the game-winning score after a pass from Lindsey Lane that was set up by Chelsea Drennan.
Up Next
The Maroon and White battles its second-ranked opponent of the weekend as the Bulldogs travel to Auburn on Sunday for a showdown against the 18th-ranked Tigers at 2 p.m. CT.
Additional Notes
Social Media:
For more information on the Mississippi State soccer program, follow "HailStateSOC" on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.
MSU and No. 4 USC were locked in a dead heat in front of an energetic crowd at the MSU Soccer Field, but USC's Sophie Groff earned the game-winning goal in the 79th minute to lift the Gamecocks to their 12th win of the season.
"I told our team that they gave an outstanding effort tonight and they had nothing to be ashamed of," head coach Aaron Gordon said. "We took one of the best team's in the nation to the wire and that's something to be proud about. We're going to take what we've learned tonight and use it as fuel for the future."
The Bulldogs and Gamecocks were scoreless for the entire first half, as State played with great energy on the offensive end. The half ended however with USC holding a 12-2 advantage in shots, with both of MSU's attempts being scoring threats.
In the second half the Bulldogs began to clamp down on the Gamecock attack as MSU held the visitors to only four shots for the entire second half. For a brief moment it seemed like Thursday's game would enter extra time, but USC's Groff connected on a pass from Lindsey Lane that was set up by Chelsea Drennan for the go-ahead score.
The win for USC continued its 12-game winning streak as the Gamecocks escaped Starkville with the win.
De Souza Records Career-High
Goalkeeper Tanya de Souza collected eight saves on Thursday night, giving the junior 65 for the season. The total surpasses her career-high of 60 set in 2015, with five games still to be played. Before tonight's contest, de Souza was ranked fourth in the SEC for total saves on the season.
Goal Scoring Rundown
USC – (79:46) Sophie Groff earned the game-winning score after a pass from Lindsey Lane that was set up by Chelsea Drennan.
Up Next
The Maroon and White battles its second-ranked opponent of the weekend as the Bulldogs travel to Auburn on Sunday for a showdown against the 18th-ranked Tigers at 2 p.m. CT.
Additional Notes
- The Bulldogs are just the fourth team to hold No. 4 USC to only one goal in a game
- Eight players went the full 90 minutes for MSU as Tanya de Souza, Mallory Eubanks, Johanna Hamblett, Ari Holmes, Emily Malone, Carly Mauldin Courtney Robicheaux and Hannah Smith went the distance
- Johanna Hamblett is the only freshman to start in every game for MSU
- Thursday night's crowd was 667
Social Media:
For more information on the Mississippi State soccer program, follow "HailStateSOC" on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.
Team Stats
SC
MSU
Goals
1
0
Shots
16
5
Shots on Goal
9
3
Saves
3
8
Corners
5
4
Fouls
5
5
Scoring Plays
GROFF, Sophie (4)
Assisted By: LANE, Lindsey , DRENNAN, Chelsea
Groff scores on the pass from Lane.
79:46
Game Leaders
Players
Shots
3
SOG
2
Goals
0
Assists
0
Shots
1
SOG
1
Goals
0
Assists
0
Shots
1
SOG
0
Goals
0
Assists
0
Players Mentioned
GK
/ SoccerF
/ Soccer
M/D
/ Soccer
D
/ SoccerD
/ Soccer
M
/ Soccer
D
/ Soccer
D
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