Box Score AIKEN, S.C. – The University of South Carolina Aiken women's soccer team struck first in the season-opening match, but eventually fell by a 4-1 count in a hard fought contest Thursday afternoon against No. 15 Rollins.
The Pacers fall to 0-1 on the season while the Tars improve to 1-0.
Rollins controlled the opening minutes of the match, registering the first three shots in the contest, two of which were stopped by keeper Alli Edens.
After Eden's second save of the afternoon, USC Aiken pushed forward, gaining momentum. The squad played a ball that was knocked away for a corner kick. The Pacers regained possession just a few seconds later near midfield. Megan Smits played the ball to Hannah Allison, who played the ball across the frame from 10 yards out, putting the home team ahead 1-0 at the 10:06 mark.
The Pacers continued to push the Tars in the half, maintaining the 1-0 advantage until the 41st minute. Rollins played a through ball that Nikki Haimes tried to get a boot on. Edens thwarted the first attempt, but Haimes was able to leap over a diving Edens and softly touch the ball into the net, tying the score at 1-1.
The teams remained tied until the early going of the second half.
Brenna McKee made a long run on the right side before finding the back of the net for a 2-1 edge just 33 seconds into the second stanza for what turned out to be the game-winning goal.
A red card 12 minutes into the second half left the Pacers down a player for the remainder of the match. USC Aiken continued to apply pressure on the nationally-ranked squad, but Rollins broke through for two late goals in a 27-second span to conclude the scoring.
For the match, Edens stopped six shots while playing all 90 minutes in goal.
Allison, Smits and Caroline Gillespie all tallied a shot for the Pacers.
USC Aiken returns to action Saturday afternoon when the squad hosts USC Beaufort at 5 p.m.
