Mizzou Soccer on Twitter
After a long, cold and dark offseason, SEC soccer was finally back in Columbia on Thursday as the Mizzou Tigers took on the South Carolina Gamecocks, and there were plenty of fireworks to watch in a game that was surprisingly close. Both squads were looking to bounce back after largely disappointing losses. Missouri had their four-game win streak snapped by BYU in a shootout Saturday, and South Carolina was coming off a two-game skid that had them drop out of the top 25.
The Tigers’ strategy was simple in the first half; do not allow quality looks defensively. Offensively, they attempted to take advantage of counter attack opportunities, but were otherwise stagnate. Despite being tied at the half, the Gamecocks dominated, outshooting Missouri 6-3. Their quality of looks were also significantly better than better than Missouri’s, nearly finding the net multiple times.
In the second half, after nearly a half hour of offensive stagnation, Leah Selm finally got a shot off for the Tigers. However, it was immediately met with a deadly counter attack which Missouri narrowly survived. As the game went on, there was more physicality between the two sides, with the Gamecocks committing three fouls in the first ten minutes of the half.
Missouri caught a massive break when senior defender Momola Adesanmi got away with a clear hand ball in the box that would have given South Carolina a penalty kick. Once again, Sophomore keeper Sophia Worth played a nearly flawless game. She made save after save, racking up five in total. However, she could not control one shot that resulted in a loose ball in the box, allowing Catherine Berry to send a shot perfectly into the top right corner of the net. The Tigers made an adjustment and were much more aggressive after conceding the score.
It took them just four minutes to respond. Freshman sensation Milena Fischer, who has now played a part in each of Missouri’s last five goals, beat two defenders then dropped it off for Senior Blythe Beldner for the equalizer. In return, the Gamecocks put their foot on the gas but saw multiple opportunities slip through their fingers, largely due to the play of Worth. However, with just three minutes and change left in regulation, Sophomore Corinna Zullo received a cross and netted it.
South Carolina continually sent in fantastic crosses through the entire game and it felt about time they scored on one. Although the Tigers pushing hard in the final minutes, they could find an equalizer. Despite the loss, Mizzou played a team that had been in the top 25 just last week extremely tough. They will look to snap their two game losing streak in Tuscaloosa Thursday when they take on the Alabama Crimson Tide.