College of Charleston
South Carolina (Exhibition)
CofC W. Soccer Outlasted by South Carolina
8/13/2013 11:34:00 PM | Women's Soccer
MT. PLEASANT, S.C. – The College of Charleston women's soccer team fell, 2-0, in its first exhibition match of the season at Patriots Point on Tuesday afternoon.
The Cougars dominated possession early in the match but couldn't find the net in a productive 2013 debut. The match allowed head coach Christian Michner to experiment with different formations and test his players in various positions throughout the friendly contest.
“It was a great exhibition against a very good team in the University of South Carolina,” said Michner. “They're always in the top echelon of the SEC which is one of the best conferences in the country, so it was a good early barometer of where we are.
“I'm very proud of the girls; their effort was fantastic. We had a good portion of the ball, certainly in the early going, and had a lot of chances in the first 30 minutes. I couldn't be happier with the work the players got today.”
The match featured three 30-minute periods with open substitutions.
The Cougars were narrowly outshot by the Gamecocks, 13-9, with Michaela Herrmann (Centennial, Colo.) and Kelsey McQuaid (Roswell, Ga.) leading the way with two each. Herrmann was on the field for a match-high 84 minutes.
Three Cougars saw time between the pipes with Eli Sarasola (San Sebastian, Spain) and Taylor Avery (Clifton, Va.), regulars from the 2012 season, taking the responsibilities in the first and second periods, respectively. Lauren Killian (Blythewood, S.C.) made her collegiate debut in the third period and commanded her box well and made one stifling safe on a point-blank effort late in the match.
CofC was the more-disciplined side and committed just four fouls compared to 17 for the Gamecocks.
The Cougars were the more impressive side in the early going and forced the Gamecocks back on their heels from the opening whistle.
In the first five minutes, Nicole Koretsky (Manalapan, N.J.) created a turnover deep in the attacking third and forced Gamecock keeper Sabrina D'Angelo to the top of her 18-yard box where she had no option but to send the ball into touch before Koretsky could run back onto the ball.
On the ensuing throw, McCallie Jones (Charlotte, N.C.) forced the ball deep back into the box with one of her acrobatic, summersault-style throw-ins which rattled around the scoring area but the Cougars were unable to come up with the finishing touch.
Herrmann took two quality shots in the second 10 minutes of play, her first on frame from 25 yards and her second creeping just over the bar on a free kick from 40 yards away.
McQuaid, first-year transfer from Tennessee, checked into the match in the 24th minute and immediately made her presence known, corralling a corner kick sent in by Sarah Cardamone (Downingtown, Pa.) and fizzing her attempt just over the bar.
The Cougars' nearest miss of the opening period perhaps came in the 27th minute with Cardamone playing a long ball into the right side of the box from 35 yards away. Freshman Danielle Mellem (San Semente, Calif.) got her head to the ball and sent it towards the goal with pace but the ball whistled right of the post and into the outside of the net. Mellem was impressive in her freshman debut and logged 82 minutes of playing time.
The Cougars took a 6-3 shot advantage into the first intermission but possession shifted to the Gamecocks in the second period of play.
Avery entered the game in the second period and made a dazzling leg save on the first threat she was challenged with, a point-blank attempt by Daija Griffin who had broken in alone on goal.
The Gamecocks finally cracked the Cougar defense in the 43rd minute when Abby Sams slipped a through ball down the middle-left seem which Bay Daniel ran onto and slipped the ball past a fully-extend Avery and into the right side of the net.
Moments after the goal, the Cougars nearly found the quick equalizer when Jones ripped a shot with pace from the right side of the box which caromed off the post and into a Gamecock defender. The ball spun frantically in place inches from the goal line but the Gamecocks cleared the ball from danger.
Their second tally came in the 55th minute when Griffin made a run into the top-right corner of the box and ripped a shot which was stopped by Avery, but the rebound unfortunately fell back to Griffin who capitalized across the mouth of the goal into the left corner.
The Cougars reasserted themselves in the third period, but play became more chippy as the heat bore down and long-term possession became tougher to come by for both sides.
In the end, 19 players checked into the game for the Cougars and each received at least 30 minutes on the field.
The Cougars head to Atlanta, Ga., for their final tune-up of the season against Georgia State on Friday, Aug. 16 at noon (ET). The regular season begins with a crosstown rivalry match against Charleston Southern on Friday, Aug. 23. The 2013 kickoff is slated for 7 p.m. from Patriots Point.
Players Mentioned
