Tigers Drop Heartbreaker to South Carolina

Wednesday, November 14

Birmingham, Ala.

5:30 PM

University of Memphis

10-5-4

South Carolina

11-5-2

OT 1

Memphis TIGERS

South Carolina

Tripp Harkins picked up his second assist when he set up Kevin Walsh's first-half goal.

Nov 14, 2007 | Men's Soccer

Box Score

Nov. 14, 2007

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BIRMINGHAM, Ala. - The rematch was everything promised, as Memphis and South Carolina battled down to the wire in the quarterfinal round of the 2007 Conference USA Men's Soccer Championship. The match entered overtime, but the Tigers finished the night on the short end of 2-1 decision.

With remarkable resemblance to the October 20 match-up, the teams headed to the locker room at the break with the score knotted at 1-1. Only this time it was the Tigers who opened scoring when Kevin Walsh drove the ball past the C-USA Freshman of the Year on a breakaway created by Ryan Ruble and Tripp Harkins. Ruble won a long kick out, and Harkins took his pass and dropped a great ball down the line behind the defense. Walsh beat the SC back line and finished with a strike inside the far post.

In much the same fashion as Memphis scored the equalizer, Carolina tied the game before one minute had run off the clock. Jeff Scanella found a streaking Mike Lindsay, who dribbled the ball past a diving Tyler Strom for the equalizer.

The second half was more of the same, as both teams struggled for good looks, and the game entered overtime at 1-1. Twenty seconds into extra time, SC's Jeff Scanella drew a foul inside the penalty box and converted the penalty kick to lift the Gamecocks to a 2-1 victory and passage to the semifinal round to be played tomorrow. Carolina will face the winner of tonight's final match which features UAB and Tulsa.