Gamecocks Ride Strong Second Half to First Victory of Season

Nancy Hubright | @NHubright

For the second week in a row, the South Carolina women’s soccer team got off to a slow start. However, this week was about how the Gamecocks finished with the team netting three goals in the second half to pick up their first win of the season against the Missouri Tigers, 4-1.

The Tigers struck first with a goal in the 10th minute courtesy of Julissa Cisneros. The Gamecocks looked to a freshman, Catherine Barry, to give them a spark offensively. She delivered with a goal in the 27th minutes and another in the 54th.

"It was really nice to get that first goal,” South Carolina head coach Shelley Smith said. “It was tough, but Cat just made it happen. For her that was nice to be rewarded and the presence she had up top for us. It is always nice to get your first goal as a freshman. And then for her to get two is pretty amazing.”

The first of Barry’s goals came off a collaborative effort from the Gamecock offense that resulted in a deflected ball off the Missouri goalkeeper to tie the game. In the 54th minute, Lauren Chang passed the ball to Barry, who challenged the Missouri goalkeeper one-on-one and strip the ball away for a hard-fought goal in her first home game as a Gamecock.

Their strong efforts were followed by a goal from Jylissa Harris off a direct kick, which she floated in just below the opposing crossbar in the 67th minute. The kick was rewarded to the Gamecocks after Mo Adsanmi of the Tigers fouled out of the game. Rylee Forester would punctuate the match for the Gamecocks with a goal in the 70th.

After trailing early, Smith credited her team’s character for how they responded.

[The comeback] says a lot about our team, how we were able to bounce back and not panic,” Smith said.

The Gamecocks dominated pace of play and played a cleaner game. USC had 18 shots and six fouls, while Missouri only had nine shots to go with 16 fouls.

With this strong homecoming for Barry and the rest of the Gamecocks, the team now looks to their next match against the Kentucky Wildcats at Stone Stadium on Sunday, Oct. 4 at 1:00 p.m.