University of Georgia Athletics
University of Georgia
Missouri
Georgia Suffers 2-0 Loss To Visiting Missouri
October 17, 2014 | Soccer
Coach Holeman talks about Georgia's soccer match against Missouri.
Oct. 17, 2014
ATHENS, Ga. --- The 17th-ranked Georgia soccer team allowed a pair of second-half goals and could not recover in Friday night's 2-0 loss to Missouri at the UGA Soccer Stadium. The setback dropped the Bulldogs to 9-3-1 on the season and 4-2-1 in conference play heading into Sunday's match-up vs. LSU in Athens.
Tonight marked the first home loss of the 2014 season for Georgia (5-1), and was the first time all year the Bulldogs had been shut out. Previously, the team had scored in all 12 games - the longest streak to start a season in program history and the second-longest streak of games with a goal overall, behind only the string of 14 in a row in 2001.
"First of all, I thought it was a great SEC match on a Friday night - a great crowd - and at the end of the day, Missouri was the better team," said head coach Steve Holeman. "Credit them, they did a better job of finishing their chances. Missouri is very athletic, very hard-working. They took us out of our rhythm, did a fantastic job, and kept us off the board."
"We have to learn from this loss, just like we learn when we win," Holeman said. "We have to think about it, evaluate it - we'll watch some video. And we have to recover physically. The bottom line is that we can't let this game beat us twice. We've got a quick turnaround. LSU is going to be here on Sunday, and we know they're very good, and we'll recover and we'll bounce back."
The Bulldogs played Missouri tight in the first half and the teams entered the locker room knotted at 0-0. Georgia had a good chance at the goal just 10 minutes in as leading scorer Gabby Seiler had one saved by the Tiger goalkeeper McKenzie Sauerwein after cutting inside to her left foot and firing from inside the 18. Laura Eddy then had one blocked from close range just minutes after, and later in the half the freshman Kelsey Killean had a look at a bouncing ball in front, but her chip shot went over the crossbar.
At the intermission, the Tigers held a slim 9-7 edge in shots, with Marion Crowder leading Georgia with two attempts through 45:00.
Just after the break, Seiler had a breakaway chance saved by Sauerwein, and seven minutes in, forward Rachel Garcia had one go high as the Bulldogs continued in search of the first score of the game.
But that would later belong to Missouri, as Kaysie Clark put the Tigers on top 1-0 in the 56th minute as she dribbled through from the right side and fired one out of the reach of Louise Hogrell into the upper corner. It then became 2-0 in the 82nd minute as Melanie Donaldson finished off a pass from Kaitlyn Clark, sending it by Hogrell from the top of the box.
Georgia continued to search for the back of the net trying to chip away at the deficit, and had a Seiler offering saved by a leaping Sauerwein with under seven minutes to go, but the Tigers were able to hang on for the two-goal road victory and keep the Bulldogs off the board for the first time this season.
Hogrell ended with four saves for UGA, while Seiler had three shots to lead the way. Georgia is now 1-2 all-time against Missouri, with both losses coming in Athens.
The Bulldogs are back in action on Sunday, hosting LSU at 3 p.m. on ESPNU. Live audio coverage will also be available on Georgiadogs.com.
