GREENSBORO, N.C. – South Carolina used two second-half goals just six minutes apart to hold off UNCG, 2-0, in women's soccer action from UNCG Soccer Stadium on Friday evening.
“We played really, pretty well in the first-half,” said head coach Eddie Radwanski. “We were patient and played with tremendous composure, but our mental mistakes came back to get us again. It has seemed to happen all season, we just made a couple of mistakes and South Carolina capitalized.”
The Gamecocks (13-5-2) grabbed a 1-0 lead just minutes into the second-half. Morgan McIntyre broke free behind the UNCG defense and beat Spartans goalkeeper Angie Rudy at 52:45. It was McIntyre's team-leading eighth goal of the season. Melinda Carter registered the assist.
South Carolina increased its lead at 59:02. Gamecock substitute Camille Toney went one-on-one with Rudy and slotted the ball under the charging netminder. Kimmy Criss picked up the assist.
Despite the two-goal deficit, UNCG (7-11-1) created some great scoring chances in the match's final 10-minutes. Dacia Beachum (Fr./Raleigh, NC) and Cara Hammond (Fr./Howell, NJ) each had golden chances, but South Carolina goalkeeper Elise Matthews came up big.
Matthews made a couple of key saves down the stretch, but also got some help from the cross bar. Rakel Logad?ttir (So./ Hafnarfjordur, Iceland) was awarded a free kick some 30-yards out, but her blast glanced off the woodwork. Matthews did the rest and picked up her fourth shutout of the season. It was the Gamecocks' ninth on the 2002 campaign.
The match up marked the regular season finale for both squads.
South Carolina returns to action next weekend in Oxford, Mississippi for the 2002 SEC Tournament. South Carolina's seed and opponent for the SEC Tournament will be determined after the SEC regular season completes this weekend.
The Spartans return to action Friday, November 8, in the first round of the 2002 Southern Conference Tournament. UNCG's seed and opponent have yet to be determined. The Spartans, currently seeded sixth, could finish fifth if College of Charleston were to lose to Davidson on Sunday. If UNCG were to end up sixth, the Spartans would play third-seeded Georgia Southern, Friday, at 7:30 pm. If CofC were to lose, UNCG would finish fifth and face Davidson, Friday, at 5:00 pm.
The Spartans honored its five seniors prior to the match. Jen Kennedy (Sr./Summerfield, NC), Jill Barrett (Sr./Elon College, NC), Meg Barrett (Sr./Elon College, NC), Katherine Trevillian (Sr./San Antonio, TX) and Angie Rudy (Sr./Doylestown, PA) all started. Meg Barrett and Trevillian, both of whom suffered season ending knee injuries last week, did get one last start at UNCG Soccer Stadium. In a class move by both sides, the two were able to start the match on the field.
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