Whitney’s Golden Goal Propels Gamecocks To 1-0 Win
South Carolina wins double overtime match that was suspended for 45 minutes due to weather
TUCSON,
Ariz. – South Carolina freshman Ali Whitney scored a screamer from over
30 yards out to propel the Gamecocks (2-1-0) to a 1-0 golden goal
victory at Arizona (0-3-0) in double overtime Friday night. The match
lasted three hours after the play was suspended for 45 minutes at
halftime due to inclement weather near Mulcahy Stadium, ending at 1
a.m. ET.
Whitney scored her goal at 101:52 after Danielle Au fed
her a ball from inside the penalty area. Her game-winner makes her just
the third freshman in Gamecock history to score a golden goal,
following in the footsteps of Lexi Tourtellote (Evansville - Oct. 16,
1995) and coincidentally Au, who hit the golden goal as a freshman last
season to defeat Furman on Sept. 13, 2010.
Freshman goalkeeper
Sabrina D’Angelo notched her first solo clean sheet with one save on
the night, however her save proved to be key as she showed world class
skill to deflect a rocket from 20 yards out on a set piece that would
have won the game for Arizona in the first overtime period.
The
overtime match was the first in the regular season for South Carolina
since the team took a 1-0 victory against Furman last season on Sept.
12. The Gamecocks are now unbeaten in their last eight overtime games.
The
teams played an even first half with both squads getting three shots
off with none on frame. The Gamecocks did hold a 3-1 edge in corner
kicks, the most notable coming in the 18th minute when Kayla Grimsley’s
corner found Christa Neary for a header that hit the crossbar before
sliding out. The Wildcats had their best look come in the eighth minute
when Renae Cuellar snuck behind the Gamecock backline for an empty look
at D’Angelo in goal, but the freshman’s pressure between the pipes led
Cuellar to send her dribbler wide of the net.
The game was suspended for 45 minutes at halftime with the threat of inclement weather around the stadium looming.
When
the second half kicked off at 11:45 p.m. (ET), the Gamecocks seemingly
followed the same pattern as the past two games, taking the upper hand
for a majority of the next 45 minutes. However, both teams only managed
to register one shot on goal in the period. Arizona was the first to
test a keeper with a dribbler in the 59th minute that D’Angelo easily
corralled. The Gamecocks were able to get a shot on goal in the 75th
with Kortney Rhoades’s shot saved by Arizona goalkeeper Ashley Jett.
Heading
to overtime, the teams both had one shot on goal with Arizona leading
the total shot count 7-6. Carolina held a 6-4 edge in corner kicks.
The
Wildcats nearly won the game in the 95th with a rocket on a set piece
from 20 yards out that required the world class save from D’Angelo to
keep the Gamecocks in the match. Whitney’s golden goal for the
Gamecocks came just 1:52 into the second overtime period.
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