The No. 25 South Carolina women's soccer team picked up a 2-2 tie against Georgetown on Thursday night at Stone Stadium.
The Gamecocks (2-0-4) came from behind to tie the Hoyas on the back of an improved offensive attack in the second half.
"I thought it was a good battle," head coach Shelly Smith said. "It was a tough game. They're a great team, and I thought we played a little bit reactive in the first half. We made some better decisions in the second half to put more pressure on them."
The first half was a defensive battle between the two teams. The Hoyas (3-1-3) controlled the pace of play but failed to convert on any of its eight shot attempts. Junior goalkeeper Christina Tsaousis recorded three saves in the first half and finished the game with six.
The Gamecocks, however, struggled on offense and attempted just two shots in the first half.
Georgetown senior midfielder Eliza Turner scored the first goal of the match in the 56th minute, giving the Hoyas a 1-0 advantage.
South Carolina would score a goal ten minutes later when a header from junior midfielder Kinley Brown found the back of the net 67th minute. This was Brown's first goal in her three-year college soccer career.
The Hoyas would regain the lead in the 79th minute after another goal from Turner. The Gamecocks answered quickly in the 86th minute with a goal from fifth-year forward Catherine Barry, tying the game at two goals each. This also extended Barry's team lead in goals to five goals.
Gamecocks make offensive adjustments
After a slow start in the first half, South Carolina's offense found a rhythm in the final 45 minutes of the game. The Gamecocks attempted 12 shots in the second half, forcing five saves from Georgetown graduate student goalkeeper Anna Karpenko.
"It was a little disjointed in that first half for us," Smith said. "I was glad to see the heart, the fight. Going down a goal twice, it puts a lot of pressure on you and we responded well. Overall, happy with how they battled."
South Carolina's offensive push helped lead the team to a tie against the Hoyas despite trailing for much of the second half, Smith said.
"Taking the space they were giving us, in the first half, we didn't take advantage of that," Smith said. "In the second half, we made better decisions and just were that much more threatening."
Georgetown's defense steps up
Despite the improvement by South Carolina's offense in the second half, the Hoyas defense prevented the Gamecocks from gaining a lead. Georgetown survived three corner kicks from South Carolina in the match and recorded six total saves.
Even when momentum seemed to shift in South Carolina's favor, the Hoyas' defense held firm, which kept a tie from turning into a potential loss.
'We've left some chances out there'
After earning a tie against Georgetown on Thursday night, South Carolina has now recorded a tie in its last four matches. Smith said she believes her team has missed opportunities in recent games.
"We've left some chances out there, opportunities over the last few games (that've) resulted in ties," Smith said. "We've got to find a way to put ourselves in the winning column, and that's something we'll be working for on Sunday."
Despite the result, Smith said she believes her team can build off its performance.
"It's continuing to stay together, to battle," Smith said. "I think today we had more consistent play by a lot of people and finding a way to win at the end of the day."
What's next?
The Gamecocks will travel to Atlanta, Georgia to face Georgia State on Sunday. Kickoff is set for 6 p.m., and the match will be streamed on ESPN+.