Comeback Bid Falls Short for Mizzou Soccer in Quarterfinals

Tuesday, November 17

Orange Beach, Ala. (Orange Beach Sportsplex)

7:30 p.m. CT

University of Missouri

3-3-2, 3-3-2

South Carolina (Quarterfinals)

7-2-0, 7-2-0

Missouri

South Carolina

Comeback Bid Falls Short for Mizzou Soccer in Quarterfinals

11/17/2020 11:22:00 PM | Soccer

Box Score Box Score

Tigers score twice in second half to pull within one goal

ORANGE BEACH, Ala. – Mizzou Soccer (4-3-2) fell to South Carolina (7-2-0) by a final tally of 3-2 on Tuesday night to end the 2020 campaign for the Tigers. Fighting until the final whistle, Mizzou was unable to overcome a three-goal deficit in what is the highest scoring SEC Soccer Tournament to date.

The first quarter went the way of the Gamecocks as South Carolina's Lauren Chang was able to score just over four minutes into the match off a corner kick. After controlling possession and managing the tempo, South Carolina was able to edge ahead once more in the 21^st minute as Sutton Jones's cross into the box dropped into the back corner of the net. Following the halftime break, the Gamecocks continued the pressure as Catherine Barry collected the ball in the box, turned and shot to the opposite side of the net to give South Carolina a 3-0 lead in the 47^th minute.

14 seconds later, momentum shifted drastically as the Tigers roared back into the match. A 47^th minute individual effort from Bella Alessi and a 60^th minute tap-in from Julissa Cisneros was enough to slash the deficit but not enough to even the match. While Mizzou was in command for the majority of the final half, sending shots at the Gamecock goalkeeper and pressing the South Carolina defense, the Tigers fell just one goal short of a spectacular come-from-behind victory.

TURNING POINT

Following South Carolina's third goal of the night, it took just 14 seconds for the Tigers to wake up and respond emphatically. Senior midfielder Bella Alessi scored her fourth goal in the last three matches with a brilliant individual effort to make her way into the Gamecock box, overpower a defender and finally chip the ball over the keeper to give the Tigers their first goal of the evening.

From then on out, it was all Mizzou as the Tigers stalked the Gamecock penalty area and created chance after chance. After over ten minutes of consistent pressure, a miracle ball sent up from Lindsey Whitmore took an awkward bounce off of a South Carolina defender in the box and fell neatly at the feet of Julissa Cisneros who composed herself before firing in a low ball past the keeper to make it 3-2, Gamecocks in the 60^th minute.

For the remaining 30 minutes of action, Mizzou fought for an equalizer as the Tigers sent in shot after shot and pressured their opponent constantly. While that equalizer was not to be found, the Tigers battled until the final whistle after one of the most consistent halves of their 2020 season.

TOP TIGERS

Bella Alessi cemented herself as the highest scoring Tiger this season, as the Colorado-native scored her team-leading fifth goal in the 47^th minute. Alessi also added four shots and a career-high three shots on goal.
Julissa Cisneros grabbed her second goal of the season and first since scoring at South Carolina to open the season in September. Cisneros was on target as both of her shots landed on goal.
Grace Kitts and Isabella Alessio played in all 90 minutes of the match.

QUOTABLES

"It's been a remarkable season dealing with COVID," head coach Bryan Blitz said. "I'm so proud of the way our players and staff adapted to the challenge. I'm thankful for the way our senior class led us this season We attacked South Carolina well and did a great job of creating chances, but they're the number 10 team in the country for a reason."

NOTES

Although exiting the tournament early, the Tigers hold an impressive record of reaching at least the quarterfinals of the SEC Soccer Tournament six out of their eight appearances. Their all-time record in the tournament now sits at 3-8.
With their loss to South Carolina, Mizzou's five-match unbeaten streak comes to an end. It was the longest such streak since starting the 2019 season 5-0.
The two goals the Tigers scored is tied for the most allowed by the Gamecocks all season. It's only the third time South Carolina has allowed multiple goals in a match since the start of the 2019 season.
Leading the team in scoring, Bella Alessi's four goals in three games is the most in that span since Julissa Cisneros scored four in the last three games of the 2019 campaign.
Redshirt senior midfielder Grace Kitts played in all but four minutes this season for a total of 846 minutes out of 850.