Orangeburg, SC—Freshman Briana Lopez scored the game winning goal in the eighty-seventh minute to give SC State a 2-1 victory over Navy. The game, which can be considered the biggest victory in Lady Bulldog history, was contested at the Oliver C. Dawson Bulldog Stadium on the campus of SC State.
The first half of the contest was a defensive battle as the team played to a 0-0 tie heading into the half. The teams combined for just 11 total shots in the half (Navy-6; SC State-5).
Both teams continued their solid defense for throughout the majority of the second half. Sophomore Alejandra Chirino got the Lady Bulldogs on the scoreboard first with an unassisted goal in the 85th minutes. Navy quickly answered as Christine Calderon scored the Mids only goal of the game in the 86th minute to tie the game at 1-1.
“On reaction when Navy tied the scored so quickly I still felt we would still win,” said third-year head coach Glad Bugariu. “I thought it (the game) would go into overtime and we'd pull it off there.” He continued, “We prepared real well for the game, watched several film on them so we weren't surprised at anything they did.”
SC State remained intense and within 20 seconds Freshman Briana Lopez hit the game winning goal from the right side of the net to give the Lady Bulldogs the 2-1 victory.
“We played well the entire game and were the dominant team and definitely deserved this win. We can't have a letdown versus Liberty on Sunday. Hopefully we can pick up the win and go 2-0 to start the season, something the team has never done,” said Bugariu
SC State will host Liberty on Sunday at 1 p.m. in the Oliver C. Dawson Bulldog Stadium. Admission is free and open to the public.
Game Summary
Shots: Navy: 12-SC State: 13; Corner Kicks: Navy: 3-SC State-8; Saves: Navy: 5-SC State: 6; Fouls: Navy: 9-SC State: 13.
Score By Period: 1 2 Total
Navy: 0 1 0
SC State: 0 2 2
