Rams Fall to Gamecocks in First-Ever Matchup

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Sep 3

7:30 p.m.

Women's Soccer

at Brigham Young

Sep 6

12:00 p.m.

Women's Soccer

at Utah Tech

Sep 10

4:00 p.m.

Women's Soccer

vs Kansas State

Sep 17

7:00 p.m.

Women's Soccer

vs Wyoming

Sep 20

3:00 p.m.

Women's Soccer

at Colorado College

Team	1	2	Final F
South Carolina	0	1	1
Colorado St.	0	0	0

South Carolina

Colorado St.

As the Rams walked into their second home game of the season, they prepared to take on an opponent never seen before.

A sea of red slowly took over Ram Field, engulfing the green and gold Ram fans, with South Carolina bringing its fire and energy to Fort Collins.

In Sunday's match, Colorado State took on the Gamecocks, and after a hard-fought 90 minutes, the guests came out on top 1-0 in the first-ever meeting between the two programs.

"This is non-conference. We're going through adversity," coach Keeley Hagan said. "That's why we play these opponents, to prepare us for it as well."

The fight started off early, with only one minute into the game a yellow card being given to midfielder Mia Casey.

As CSU pushed its outside backs forward into attack and crashed the box, the Gamecocks were able to apply a steady defense shutting the hungry Rams down. USC utilized its whole roster, having seven substitutions in the first half, giving them the opportunity to keep their game aggressive and calculated.

Anxiety remained painted over both teams as near misses and fouls proved an evenly matched game.

As the clock ticked down on the end of the first half, a swift change occurred in weather and attitude. The rain rolled into Ram Field and the crowd remained eager to see a score planted on the board. Halftime was the perfect opportunity for the Rams to talk about momentum and continue to play to the standards they set.

In true CSU fashion, the Rams took this momentum and started the second half strong drawing a foul from the Gamecocks resulting in a penalty kick from the box, but South Carolina goalie Christina Tsaousis turned away Casey's attempt.

Just as the rain began to clear out, the Rams saw a dark cloud hover over them as a red card was given to Casey, promptly eliminating her from the remainder of the game. As dark as the sky was, CSU remained sunny, continuing to play the game with full effort and drive, refusing to let one mishap stop their focus.

"We didn't have anything to lose in the sense that we knew we were down," forward Kaja Dionne said. "There wasn't as much pressure because we knew we were playing this team, so it was just go out there, have fun, and then use the momentum of the red card and the shot to come back even harder."

The Rams pushed back on the Gamecocks, the defense shutting them down on crucial points. USC saw an opportunity to get the ball in the back of the net, with Maryn Wolf burying one into the bottom right of the goal in the 66^th minute, snapping the deadlock.

The Rams remained poised despite the marker, continuing the game with full force working to the last second.

"We can compete against anyone," Bridget Arnold said. "We know we're a good team and we know what we can do, believing in each other and trusting in all the little processes to get through."

Despite the result, Colorado State continued to remain positive to the end, knowing that with a new team comes new welcomed challenges.

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