COLUMBIA, S.C. â South Carolina forwards Savannah McCaskill and Raina Johnson both notched first half goals to lead the No. 10 Gamecocks (11-1-1, 5-0-1 SEC) to a 2-0 win over No. 8 Auburn (11-2-0, 4-2 SEC) on Thursday night at Stone Stadium. With the victory, South Carolina pushed its unbeaten streak to 10 matches and remained atop the league standings.
The Gamecocks once again struck early when McCaskill registered her team-leading ninth goal in the 10th minute. Defender Caroline Gray provided the assist on the goal, as the senior threaded a beautiful through pass in the attacking third to McCaskill, who charged into the box and rifled a shot over the head of Auburn keeper Sarah Le Beau.
Less than 10 minutes later (18â), it was McCaskill who set up South Carolinaâs next goal. Her through ball into the box bounced off the foot of an Auburn defender and found Raina Johnson, and the senior forward gathered the pass before slipping a shot past a diving Le Beau into the right side of the net.
The Tigers, who maintained much of the possession over the final 60 minutes of the match, appeared to get on the board in the 74th minute when Brooke Ramsier received a long pass inside the box. She gathered the ball and fired it into the back of the net before being ruled offisides by the linesman.
Auburn boasted a 9-8 shot advantage in Thursdayâs match-up of the SECâs top two teams, but finished the game with just three shots on frame. South Carolina sophomore goalkeeper Abbey Crider (6-0-0) remained perfect on the season for a Gamecock team that recorded its third clean sheet in SEC play this season.
