Late Equalizer Helps Vols Earn Point At No. 7 South Carolina, 1-1

Friday, October 18

Columbia, SC

7:00 PM

University of Tennessee

8-5-2, 2-4-1

South Carolina

11-1-2, 5-0-2

Tennessee

South Carolina

Photo by: Kate Luffman/Tennessee Athletics

Late Equalizer Helps Vols Earn Point At No. 7 South Carolina, 1-1

October 18, 2019 | Soccer

Box Score Box Score

COLUMBIA, S.C. -- Senior forward MA Vignola found the dramatic equalizer in the 90th minute as Tennessee earned a 1-1 tie with No. 7 South Carolina Friday night at Stone Stadium. The result marked the first time the Vols earned a point in Columbia, S.C. since a 1-0 win in 2012.

"Our kids were fantastic tonight, really from start to finish," head coach Brian Pensky said following the match. "We felt that we were unfortunate to be behind at the break, so there was plenty of belief and spirit in our locker room. We just kept plugging away until the end, and eventually one fell for us. Our team defending was good tonight. Our possession was good. Overall a pretty complete performance."

Vignola forced overtime with her eighth goal of the year, scoring from close range off a service from sophomore forward Mackenzie George with 56 seconds remaining in regulation. The score broke up a 517-minute shutout streak for South Carolina (11-1-2, 5-0-2 SEC) dating back to last month.

Tennessee (8-5-2, 2-4-1 SEC) held a 52-48 edge in the battle for possession Friday night along with an 8-6 advantage in corner kicks. South Carolina outshot the Vols 15-11 on the night with a 7-2 lead in shots on goal.

Rookie goalkeeper Lindsey Romig saw all 110 minutes between the posts, hauling in six saves. Three of those came in overtime to preserve the point for the Vols in conference play.

A season-high eight Vols played every single minute Friday night, including the entire back line of Maria Nelson, Mackenzie Ostrom, Maya Neal and Abbey Burdette. Mackenzie George, Claire Franks, Vignola and Romig also never saw the bench against the Gamecocks.

South Carolina midfielder Lauren Chang opened the scoring early in the first half, connecting on a cross in the eighth minute. The 2018 All-SEC performer has scored against the Vols in each of the last three meetings.

USC held possession for 53 percent of the opening frame and recorded an edge in shots (5-2), shots on goal (2-0) and corner kicks (2-1). It was just the second time this season Tennessee faced a halftime deficit.

UP NEXT: Tennessee returns home Thursday night, hosting the Florida Gators at Regal Soccer Stadium. Kickoff is scheduled for 7 p.m. as the match will be televised on the SEC Network.

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