Mizzou soccer dropped to 0-3 in conference play following a big loss at the hands of no.17 South Carolina. The Tigers held the ranked Gamecocks to a 0-0 draw for 40 minutes before the Gamecocks opened the game up, winning 3-0.
Offensively, the Tigers continued to struggle. Mizzou found five shots to South Carolina’s 16, and only a single one of those was on target. Mizzou failed to properly pressure the Gamecocks’ keeper, who did not register a single save. Sophomore Landis Canada led the Tigers with
two shots, one in each half.
Mizzou managed to pull together an impressive performance on the other side of the ball, holding off eight first-half shots from South Carolina.
The defensive efforts of the backline trio of McKenna Moran, Mia Yang, and Morgan Meador proved vital in this match, as they stifled a South Carolina attack that has already produced 22 goals this season.
Moran, Yang, and Meador each played 90 minutes for the Tigers, continuing to establish a consistent rhythm as a defensive unit.
Despite their best efforts, the Tigers could only hold off the Gamecock attack for so long — finally conceding in the 41st minute. The relentless attempts of South Carolina culminated in a through ball from Wynn Generally cut through the defensive lines and found the foot of Kinley Brown, who finished across the goal, just out of reach of senior keeper Kate Phillips.
This knocked the Tigers back after an impressive first-half stand, leaving them in a hole to dig out of in the second 45. They now had to adjust to find a goal, rather than simply absorb the pressure. Landis Canada found a shot for the Tigers coming out of half, but the search for an equalizer came up empty-handed.
The Gamecocks doubled their lead in the 71st minute, a corner short pass turned into a swooping cross into the box — which found the head of South Carolina’s Reagan Chubach, who placed the ball perfectly in the back of the net.
Corner kicks have been a weakness for the Tigers all season, becoming a pattern in big losses. Against the Gamecocks, they gave up six corners — one being the aforementioned goal — and failed to limit South Carolina’s ability to find scoring opportunities from corners.
In less than 10 minutes, the Gamecocks put the nail in the coffin with a third goal that sealed the game at a 3-0 loss. South Carolina forward Autumn Cayelli found herself in a 1-on-1 scenario against Morgan Meador, Cayelli danced around Meador before slotting it home in the top corner of the goal.
With a third straight loss, the Tigers move to 0-3 in SEC play and 3-7-1 on the season. The Tigers continue their road trip with a short (er) drive down to Fayetteville to take on Arkansas on Oct. 2, looking to finally put a tally in the win column.
