The South Carolina women's soccer team got off to a slow start against Wisconsin, but came away with a 1-0 victory in the second round of the NCAA Tournament at Stone Stadium on Friday.
In the beginning of the match, Wisconsin’s defense closed South Carolina’s gaps, which limited the Gamecocks' options to move the ball quickly on offense.
There was constant movement on both sides of the field, keeping the match scoreless for almost the entire first half.
But the Gamecocks soon changed the driving offensive force with a goal in the 39th minute by freshman forward Luciana Zullo.
“I got the pass and I saw that the space inside to cut impact to my left foot was open,” Zullo said. “And we hadn’t tested the keeper that much yet, and so just putting the ball on frame was the most important part.”
Zullo waited for the opportunity to take full advantage of Wisconsin’s defense. She described the feeling of her first postseason goal as "great."
This goal put the momentum in South Carolina's favor.
Even though the Gamecocks were leading into the half, nothing was guaranteed. Wisconsin came out strong in the second half, which really tested South Carolina’s defense.
Head coach Shelley Smith expressed how Wisconsin can battle and put pressure on its opponents.
“That’s the kind of tenacity that they have and we saw it tonight,” Smith said.
South Carolina continued to fight to keep the ball out of the back of its net for the rest of the game. The Gamecock defense and goalkeeper Mikayla Krzeczowski helped keep the ball out of South Carolina’s defensive third, while Wisconsin strove to create an opportunity to score.
“Our defense did really well tonight. Wisconsin's definitely a bigger team and we were focusing on set pieces all week,” Krzeczowski said. “And we know that's how they capitalize, and so we had to make sure we lock it down and that’s exactly what we did.”
Despite the effort that Wisconsin gave offensively, there were not able to take advantage of their ability to piece together gaps in South Carolina’s defense.
With the low scoring game, the Gamecocks still took pride in their handwork in successfully advancing to the third round of the NCAA tournament.
No matter who was on the field while facing the Wisconsin Badgers, the South Carolina Gamecocks were confident in their ability to match up with them. According to Smith and Zullo, the leadership of the upperclassmen has been tremendous throughout the season.
“They did a great job integrating us into the system and teaching us the way they do things here,” Zullo said.
The Gamecocks advance to host Santa Clara at 2 p.m. on Sunday. Both teams are coming off a win in the second round of the NCAA Tournament on Friday and will only have two days of rest in between games. According to Smith, it's going to come down to "who wants it more."
“We feel fortunate to be moving on,” Smith said, "and very proud of what our team did tonight to find a way to win and excited for Sunday.”