Baton Rouge, LA – The No. 16-ranked Gamecocks improved their record to 8-1-0, including 2-0-0 in the SEC, with a 3-1 victory over LSU on Friday night. This win marks South Carolina's seventh consecutive victory, the longest active winning streak in the conference this season. The three goals scored by the Gamecocks were their most against LSU since a 3-1 victory during the 2016 season.
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In the opening minutes, the Gamecocks maintained possession until LSU created a chance, which was saved by goalkeeper Christina Tsaousis. Senior transfer Maryn Wolf had an early opportunity for South Carolina, but her shot went wide.
In the 30th minute, a foul on LSU’s Kelsey Major led to a penalty kick for South Carolina. Sophomore Ava Tutas successfully converted the kick, giving the Gamecocks a 1-0 lead.
Two minutes into the second half, another foul in the box awarded South Carolina another penalty. This time, senior Cuyler Zulauf took the shot but was unable to score after the ball was cleared following a deflection off the keeper.
In the 64th minute, LSU's Berglind Hlynsdottir scored with a header from a corner, leveling the game at 1-1. However, less than ten minutes later, a foul by LSU set up a free kick for the Gamecocks. Reese Slater launched a powerful shot from beyond the penalty area into the top right corner, regaining the lead for South Carolina at 2-1. This marked Slater's third goal in as many games and her second consecutive game-winner.
With nine minutes remaining, another handball by LSU resulted in South Carolina's third penalty kick of the night. Again, Tutas stepped up, successfully converting to make the score 3-1. This was her third penalty of the season, with a perfect record of 2-for-2 in this match.
In total, South Carolina outshot LSU 16 (8 shots on target) to 7 (2 on target) and had a season-high 12 corners, the fourth-most in program history.
Looking ahead, South Carolina will return home to face Kentucky on Thursday, September 24, at 7:00 p.m. at Stone Stadium.