The South Carolina equestrian team fell to Auburn Friday afternoon, losing 14-6 at One Wood Farm in Blythewood, South Carolina. The loss puts the Gamecocks at 2-1, 0-1 in SEC competition.
The competition started off rocky for the Gamecocks with only one victory in reining. Senior Sarah Bouchard defeated Griffin Knight 70-62.5. Two riders scored wins in equitation over fences; sophomore Chloe Schmidt beat Hayley Iannotti 85-80 and scored the first point of her career, while freshman Lizzie van der Walde bested Peyton Smith 84-55.
Horsemanship is where the Gamecocks started to gain traction on the Tigers, knocking out three wins. Senior Abigail Pait earned Most Outstanding Player honors after beating Lauren Diaz 72.5-70. Ashley Reichert won a close battle against Knight, winning 69-68. Fellow junior Lindsey Slack earned her first career point as she defeated Ali Fratessa 71.5-70. The Gamecocks whittled into the Tigers’ lead, the score close at 8-6.
Unfortunately, South Carolina couldn’t excel in the final five events. Auburn’s equitation in the flat riders dominated and secured the victory.
Head Coach Boo Major is aware of her riders’ mistakes.
"We made some errors in all four events that we'll need to work on before we go on the road for the remainder of the fall," Major said.
It was the team’s first match since historic-level flooding struck the Columbia area, destroying homes and canceling classes for the week. The tragedy brought the community together to support the university’s various teams, including the equestrian competition.
“It's been a tough week for us, but we'll bounce back." Major said. "We had a great crowd today, which was very much appreciated by all of us."
The team will try for a better showing on Oct. 29, when the Gamecocks travel to face SEC opponent Texas A&M.