Sept. 26, 2014
COLUMBIA, S.C. - The Mizzou soccer team got a first half goal from sophomore Lauren Selaiden and held on for a 1-0 win over No. 14 South Carolina Friday night in Columbia, S.C. The Tigers improved to 7-1-2 overall and 2-0-0 in Southeastern Conference play with the win, while the Gamecocks fell to 8-2-0 and 1-1-0.
Missouri's goal marked just the third score allowed by the South Carolina defense this season, as the Gamecocks entered the match with a 0.22 goals against average and seven shutouts in games.
"We played one of the best defensive teams in the country and didn't play our best but were fortunate enough to come out with a win away from home," Missouri Head Coach Bryan Blitz said. "We really want to give credit to our players who found the way to grind out a win. We know moving foward, we really really need to step up our level of play to continue to have a chance to be successful moving forward in the SEC."
Possession went back and forth in the first half, with both teams trading chances in the opening 25 minutes. Mizzou took advantage of a counterattack to break the scoreless match and tally the first goal of the match in the 30th minute.
Freshman Kaitlyn Clark played a cross from the left sideline to senior Kaysie Clark at the top of the box. Kaysie Clark took a dribble then ripped a shot that hit off the crossbar and bounced back out to the top of the box. Selaiden ran on the loose ball and sent a laser that went past the Gamecock keeper and into the lower left corner of the net for a 1-0 Missouri advantage. The goal was the first of the season for Selaiden, while the assist was Kaysie Clark's ninth of the year.
Selaiden nearly added another tally in the 63rd minute as she unleashed another long blast on net. However, South Carolina keeper Sabrina D'Angelo stood her ground and made the save in goal.
The Gamecocks increased their offensive pressure as the second half progressed but could not manage a shot on net thanks to stout Tiger defense.
With less than two minutes remaining in regulation, junior Candace Johnson stepped in front of a laser of Gamecock strike. The ball went out of bounds for a South Carolina corner but Kaysie Clark safely cleared the corner and the Tigers ran out the clock to earn the win.
Mizzou redshirt senior goalkeeper McKenzie Sauerwein made three saves in goal to earn her fourth shutout of the season.
Missouri returns to the pitch with a road match against the No. 7 Florida Gators on Sunday, Sept. 28 at 2 p.m. ET (1 p.m. CT) in a game televised live on ESPNU.
