After a tough loss to Virginia Tech on Sunday, the women’s soccer came out Thursday night and scored two goals in the second half to beat Clemson, 2-1. It was the team’s second ACC win of the young season.
The first half started out slow for both teams and would go into halftime scoreless. As he observed the game from the sidelines, coach Steve Springthorpe said the first half did not impress him.
“Our team lacked energy,” Springthorpe said. “So I was disappointed with how we played. The good thing was it was 0-0 [by halftime]. So at least we had somewhere to kind of move from. We challenged them at halftime with some motivation and changing our mentality a bit. And to there credit they came out and really, really played hard.
“We tackled hard and we won balls. Players picked up their game. Blosser scoring the two goals was fantastic. It was certainly a much better half than the first half.”
Senior defender Gia Cipollini said the team was still dwelling on the loss against Virginia Tech during the first half.
“We were playing a little timidly in the first half,” Cipollini said. “In the second half when we came out, it was all about effort. We wanted it more than them and we just picked up our intensity and finished our chances.”
Midfielder Kara Blosser would score both goals for the Pack, with the first one coming at the 58th minute with an assist from Cipiollni.
Blosser said she was screaming for the ball and was at the right place at the right time and polished off the team’s first goal of the night.
“The first one just gave us the momentum that we needed,” Blosser said. “We’ve been down before and have been able to come back. Once they score a goal, we know not to let up and we just need to get another one so we can come out here with a result so that’s what we did.”
The Tigers came back and tied the game, 1-1, at the 62th minute. But Blosser netted her second goal of the night and put the game away for good off assists from defender Alex Berger and midfielder Kara Baldy.
State (7-3-1, 2-1 ACC) had plenty of support from fans in the crowd. Following the men’s soccer team’s similar event earlier in the week against South Carolina, the women’s team held its own Kay Yow Pink night. Players and fans wore pink arm bands and t-shirts in remembrance of late Pack women’s basketball coach Kay Yow.
Springthorpe said he thought the pink-clad fans made a difference in the second half.
“I actually told the guys from the Student Wolfpack Club. I think it made a big difference in the second half,” Springthorpe said. “Your team is attacking this goal. You hear them, of course they are screaming and yelling at the opposing team. It gives you a lot more energy to play with when you have people supporting you. The crowd was fantastic tonight. They were loud and into the game.”
