12-0: No. 4 Gamecocks soccer team keeps on winning
At Starkville, Miss., the No. 4 South Carolina women’s soccer pushed its winning streak to a program-record 12 matches after topping Mississippi State 1-0 at MSU Soccer Field Thursday night.
Senior forward Sophie Groff tallied the late game-winner for the Gamecocks, who improved to 12-0-1 (6-0-0 SEC) with the victory. The Bulldogs dropped to 6-7-0 overall and 1-5-0 in league play following the loss.
“Mississippi State did a great job to battle and make it difficult,” USC coach Shelley Smith said. “We’re obviously thrilled to come out with a victory. It’s an incredible streak, but we try not to focus on it too much. We just focus on taking it game-by-game.”
After a defensive battle for much of the second half, Carolina broke through in the 80th minute when senior midfielder Chelsea Drennan sent in a cross from the right side of the box. Her pass first found midfielder Lindsey Lane and eventually rolled to Groff, who fired the ball just under the cross bar to put the Gamecocks in front. With the assist, Drennan matched the school record with 33 for her career, while Groff’s goal was her fourth of the season.
Gamecock freshman goalkeeper Mikayla Krzeczowski totaled three saves, as she picked up her league-leading sixth shutout. The Gamecocks held a 16-5 shot advantage for the match and finished the game with five corner kicks.
South Carolina hosts No. 11 Arkansas at Stone Stadium Sunday in a battle of the top two teams in the SEC. The match is set to get underway at 2 p.m.