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Sept. 4, 2009

Box Score |  Photo Gallery 

LOUISVILLE, Ky. - The Louisville women's soccer team opened the 2009 Courtyard by Marriott Airport Cardinal Classic with a 3-0 loss to the South Carolina Gamecocks on Friday night at Cardinal Park.

With the win, the Gamecocks remained unbeaten on the season and improved to 3-0 overall, while the Cardinals dropped to 1-2 overall with their second straight loss.

"For the majority of the game, I really thought we played well in some areas and it gives me hope that we are a very good team," said Louisville head coach Karen Ferguson-Dayes. "For us, the BIG EAST is our platform and the non-conference games help prepare us for the conference. Yeah, it's a 3-0 loss, but we're definitely on our way to preparing for the BIG EAST, which is the ticket for us and is what will get us in or out of the NCAA Tournament. That's one of the reasons why we're happy to be in the BIG EAST.

"This is certainly hard to swallow because I thought we were better than a three-goal loss, but I give a lot of credit to South Carolina because they finished the chances they created. However, I am very optimistic because I thought we played some good soccer."

South Carolina took a 1-0 lead in the 28th minute as senior Lindsay Small scored her first goal of the season on a header from three yards out following a corner kick from senior Kim Miller. The assist for Miller was also her first of the season.

The Gamecocks increased their advantage in the 44th minute as freshman Christine Watts connected in the upper right corner from 17 yards out for her first goal of the season and a 2-0 USC advantage. Carolina added its final goal with just nine seconds left in the game as sophomore Kayla Grimsley connected for her team-leading third goal of the season on the second assist of the year from senior Sam Dian-Matosas for the final 3-0 margin.

Overall, the Cardinals were out-shot 12-10 by the Gamecocks, including an 8-6 deficit in shots on-goal, and trailed 7-3 in corner kicks. Junior Mollie Patton finished with six saves for Carolina, while freshman Taylor Vancil had five stops for Louisville.

The Cardinals will close the Courtyard by Marriott Airport Cardinal Classic against Saint Louis on Sunday at 1 p.m. ET at Cardinal Park. Following the game with SLU, Louisville will begin a four-game road stretch with a pair of games in the Lone Star State at Texas on Sept. 11 and at Baylor on Sept. 13.