Bulldogs Fall to Gamecocks in SEC Tournament

Tuesday, November 5

Orange Beach, Ala.

3:30

University of Georgia

8-7-4, 4-3-2

South Carolina

14-1-3, 7-0-3

Georgia

South Carolina

November 05, 2019 | Soccer

Box Score

ORANGE BEACH, Ala. --- A strong offensive effort by the University of Georgia soccer team fell short as the six-seeded Bulldogs were defeated by the three-seed and eighth- ranked South Carolina Gamecocks, 1-0, in the quarterfinals of the Southeastern Conference Tournament at the Orange Beach Sportsplex on Tuesday.

"This team has grown so much and you saw that today in the way we played," Georgia head coach Billy Lesesne said. "They have a lot of heart and they put it all on display for everyone to see. Soccer is sometimes a cruel game. To play against a team like South Carolina who is so mature and such a strong team, for us to battle the way we did, I am incredibly proud of this group. I couldn't be prouder of the growth that they've made. What we've done this year has taken our program a step forward. The way they responded and as hard as they've worked, I thought they were a deserving team on the day, but congratulations to South Carolina and hope they continue to do well in the tournament."

The Bulldogs displayed a strong attack, but with the Gamecocks' defenders playing high the Bulldogs were called offsides a total of seven times in the match.

After both teams only took two shots in the first 45 minutes of action, both sides remained scoreless.

Georgia matched South Carolina's shots with 10 on the game and sophomore goalkeeper made five saves to keep the Bulldogs' chances alive.

Junior Mollie Belisle led the Bulldogs with three shots, followed by two each from freshman Chloe Chapman and junior Reagan Glisson.

South Carolina was able to score the lone goal of the game after Ryan Gareis passed the ball to Luciana Zullo for the touch to Rebecca Koch resulting in the 1-0 lead in the 50^th minute.

"The thing about this group is that they're hungry for more," Lesesne continued. "They wanted more out of this today and that's the difficult part of this game. We accepted the challenge and fought hard on the day. I'm proud and pleased to be coaching a group like this."

The winner of the conference tournament secures an automatic bid into the NCAA Championships. The NCAA Selection Show is set for Monday, November 11.

HOW TO FOLLOW GEORGIA SOCCER: For complete information on Georgia soccer, follow the team on its social media channels via @UGASoccer on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram.