COLUMBIA, S.C. – After playing 79 minutes of scoreless soccer Sunday afternoon at South Carolina’s Stone Stadium, the LSU soccer team surrendered a late goal in the 80th minute of play to Brittiny Rhoades as the Tigers dropped a hard-fought 1-0 decision to the 15th-ranked Gamecocks.
With Sunday’s defeat, the Tigers (6-8-4, 3-4-3 SEC) went down to the Gamecocks (14-3-2, 8-1-1) for the first time since the 2006 season after entering the match with a four-game unbeaten streak in the series.
Rhoades scored the game-winner at the 79:52 mark on South Carolina’s first shot of the second half while taking possession of the ball down the left flank and firing a left-footed strike inside the near post from 12 yards out. Rhoades’ unassisted goal was her first of the 2010 season.
“I thought we played really well in large portions of the game. We are still struggling to finish the chances we create for ourselves,” said LSU head coach Brian Lee. “We showed a tremendous effort this afternoon playing on the road against a Top 20 team that might win the SEC championship this season. I thought we were very good defensively again, but at some point you have to score it on the other end.”
Senior captain Courtney Alexander provided LSU’s best scoring opportunity on the day in the 79th minute of action as she found herself on a breakaway one-on-one with South Carolina goalkeeper Mollie Patton.
After wrestling possession away from one of South Carolina’s center backs, Alexander raced into the area and tried to chip a shot over Patton’s head from near the top of the box as the Gamecock goalkeeper raced off her line to cut off Alexander’s angle on goal. Rhoades netted the game-winner on the other end.
Freshman striker Addie Eggleston and junior defender Kellie Murphy also put themselves in position on a pair of scoring opportunities for the Tigers in each half against the Gamecocks.
Following a turnover by a South Carolina defender near the top of the box in the fifth minute of the game, Eggleston freed herself behind the Gamecock back line and centered a dangerous pass across the six-yard box to sophomore striker Carlie Banks running at the left post. Banks came in sliding toward the goal, but came up inches short of redirecting the ball into the back of the net for an early LSU lead.
Murphy followed in the 54th minute of the second half following a beautiful corner kick service by Taryne Boudreau. Murphy found herself on the end of Boudreau’s cross into the six-yard box and headed her first shot directly at a Gamecock defender. She pounced on the rebound and fired a second consecutive shot up and over the crossbar from eight yards out in the right side of the area.
The Tigers matched the SEC leaders shot-for-shot throughout the match as they outshot the Gamecocks at a 9-8 count in 90 minutes of action. Each team was credited with four shots on goal on the afternoon.
The Tigers will return to Baton Rouge next weekend for their 2010 regular season finale as they play host to SEC West rival Arkansas on Friday night at the LSU Soccer Complex in a match scheduled to kick off at 7 p.m. CT. LSU enters the match with a six-game winning streak in the series and has clinched an SEC West championship with a win over the Razorbacks in each of the last three seasons.