South Carolina blanks Samford to advance in NCAA women’s soccer tournament
Seven shots before a goal.
South Carolina, playing the role of heavy favorite in a first round NCAA Tournament game, looked the part Saturday night against Samford. The second-seeded Gamecocks dominated possession, kept pressure on the Bulldog defense and rarely made their own goalkeeper work. They just lacked concrete evidence that showed they were the better side.
That was until Riley Tanner dribbled around a defender, reached the back-line and passed back to Samantha Chang, who turned USC’s eighth shot of the evening into its first goal. The 41st minute strike was the breakthrough the Gamecocks needed before halftime. They breathed easier after that and cruised to a 3-0 win.
“It’s always nice getting up one goal before halftime and going into halftime with a little momentum,” said Mikayla Krzeczowski, USC’s All-SEC keeper. “Defensively, we just always want to keep the ball in front of us and make sure we’re doing our part and staying mentally engaged. That’s kind of my role in a game like that where I don’t have as many touches. ... But it’s always nice getting up one goal, then two, then three.”
South Carolina (17-1-3) is now on to the second round of the NCAA Tournament for a fourth straight season. They’ll host either Saint Louis or Notre Dame next weekend.
“We’re obviously very pleased to be moving on,” said Carolina coach Shelley Smith. “Very happy with our performance overall by our team.”
Fresh off an SEC Tournament championship, the Gamecocks stayed true to form as they posted their 15th shutout of the season. Samford (13-4-5) entered with a Southern Conference-best 46 goals, but didn’t record their first shot against Krzeczowski until the 58th minute.
USC, meanwhile, had plenty of chances. Luciana Zullo had five first-half shots, including an attempt less than five minutes in that forced a diving save from Bulldog keeper Morgan McAslan. It was that kind of game for USC early, a series of good looks with nothing to show for them.
So Samford was able to keep faith that it could replicate what Central Connecticut did a day earlier and upset a national-seeded team. Central Connecticut shocked No. 4-seed Rutgers, 1-0, on Friday with a game-winning goal in the 88th minute.
But Chang scored, then Zullo (55th minute) scored and then Tanner (81st) scored, stamping a USC win.
“We said to her at halftime that if she hit the target, it was probably going in, the way she was striking the ball tonight,” Smith said of Zullo, who finished with a game-high six shots. “She was that close. She was getting the chances. I was very happy to see her rewarded with a goal.”
South Carolina outshot Samford 13-3.
“I think they have the best defensive team in the country,” said Samford coach Todd Yelton.
This story was originally published November 16, 2019 at 7:54 PM.
