Lady Vols Play #7 South Carolina To 1-1 Draw

Sunday, September 24

Columbia, SC

7 PM

University of Tennessee

6-2-2, 1-1-1

South Carolina

7-1-3, 1-0-2

Tennessee

South Carolina

September 24, 2023 | Soccer

Box Score Box Score (PDF)

By: Kimberly Hood

COLUMBIA, S.C. – A goal by freshman Kate Runyon led Tennessee to a 1-1 draw at No. 7 South Carolina on Sunday.

The teams were evenly matched with UT (6-2-2, 1-1-1 SEC) taking 16 shots and putting five on frame, while the Gamecocks (7-1-3, 1-0-2 SEC) managed 19 shots with six on goal.

Runyon started in place of sophomore Kameron Simmonds, who is on national team duty with Jamaica, and netted her third goal of the season in the 76^th minute. Redshirt-freshman Abby Reisz made the start in goal for the Big Orange, tallying three saves, while redshirt-sophomore Ally Zazzara took over in the second half and logged two.

South Carolina's goal came by way of a penalty kick by Catherine Barry in the 87^th minute. In the net, Heather Hinz collected four saves for the Gamecocks.

Reisz made a pair of saves in the first 15 minutes to shut down South Carolina's attack, and in the 16th minute, junior Jordan Fusco countered, getting open and ripping a blast from 20 yards out, but a USC defender got a head on it to knock it high.

Freshman Sarah Greiner got a look from eight yards out with a little over two minutes left in the half, settling a loose ball and blasting it at the net, but sending it just over the crossbar, and the game went into the break tied at zero.

Just over 10 minutes into the second half, sophomore Macaira Midgley beat a defender to the endline and played a ball back across the box to find graduate Sizzy Lawton, who hammered a shot at the goal, but Hinz made the diving save.

Zazzara came to the top of the box to shut down a one-on-one breakaway by Shae O'Rourke in the 59^th minute, and the Tennessee defense cleared the ball away to kill the USC scoring opportunity.

In the 70^th minute, Fusco got another chance, driving up the center of the field and placing a ball on frame, but Hinz collected the save.

Six minutes later, Runyon scored her second goal in as many games, taking on three defenders before blasting a ball low and past the USC keeper from 10 yards out to give the Lady Vols a one-goal advantage.

Barry got the equalizer from the penalty mark in the 87^th minute, placing a ball low and into the right side netting, and the 1-1 scoreline stood through the final whistle.

UP NEXT: The Lady Vols will remain on the road, traveling to Mississippi State for an 8:30 p.m. ET matchup on Friday.

FRESHMAN ON FIRE: Kate Runyon has tallied goals in UT's last two contests to move into a tie with graduate Sizzy Lawton for second on the team scoring (3) and total points (7).