Aug. 30, 2009

Final Stats

Columbia, S.C. - Two early first half goals by South Carolina were too much for the Western Carolina women's soccer team, as the Catamounts fell 2-0 to the regionally-ranked Gamecocks on Sunday afternoon in Columbia, S.C.

Sunday's loss was the Catamounts' (2-1-0) first of the season, as South Carolina (2-0-0) evened the series between the two programs at 1-1. Coming into Sunday's match, the Gamecocks were ranked fourth in the National Soccer Coaches Association of America (NSCCA) South Regional Poll.

South Carolina jumped in the lead at the 22-minute mark in the first half as sophomore Kayla Grimsley broke away in the midfield, striking the ball past Catamount goalkeeper Caitlin Williams to give USC the 1-0 lead.

Four minutes later, senior Kim Miller tallied the second Gamecock goal as she scored from a deflected Sam Diaz-Matosas shot.

"We let them set the tone early," said Catamount soccer coach Tammy DeCesare. "When you give good teams opportunites, they will take advantage of it."

WCU stonewalled the Catamounts in the second half, keeping South Carolina away from striking the back of the net. Williams recorded a season-high five saves in the contest. The Liberty, S.C. native now has 160 career saves, which is third on the all-time WCU saves list.

"There was a big difference between the first and second half," said DeCesare. "We essentially came out in the second half and played a draw in the second half. We set the tone of the match much better in the second half and it's something to build upon."

South Carolina held the offensive advantage with 11 shots, while Western Carolina unable to obtain an opportunity.

The Catamounts will continue their four-game road trip with a two-game set in the University of Miami (Fla.) Invitational on Friday. WCU will face host Miami at 7:30 p.m. in Miami, Fla., before wrapping up tournament play with Dayton at 1:00 p.m. next Sunday afternoon.