The No.6 ranked South Carolina Gamecocks pulled off the upset on the road with a 10-9 victory over No. 3 ranked Auburn on Friday in a match that came down to the final event.
"We were literally half a point away from winning the whole match on three different rides," Head Coach Gregg Williams said. "I love what the coaches are doing and the girls are rising up to the challenge, we just slipped up and let it get away from us tonight."
It was a tale of two divisions for the meet, as the Gamecocks dominated the Hunt-seat division before the Tigers rallied in the Western division to keep the score close.
"South Carolina is always a really strong meet," junior hunt-seat rider Elizabeth Benson said. "We were beaten 3-2 over fences and then 4-1 on the flat of the Hunt-seat side but horsemanship and reining really helped us keep it neck and neck. Western carried their own today and they made it such a close match."
Despite the Tigers losing 3-2 in equitation over fences event Benson managed to snag Most Outstanding Player (MOP) honors after posting the highest score at 95. It was Benson's second straight MOP after winning one against Tennessee-Martin on September 19th.
With the score tied at five heading into halftime, South Carolina reeled off a commanding 4-1 victory over Auburn in the flat event to give the Gamecocks a 9-6 lead. The Tigers made a furious rally by winning the reining event 3-1, but a tie between junior Hailey Munger and the Gamecock's Cody McMillion prevented the 10-10 result that would have forced the judges to add up individual scores to determine the winner.
Junior western rider Griffin Knight earned MOP honors for the reining event, her first MOP honors of the season, but the close defeat was the only thing on her mind after the match.
"It honestly just means that we have to work harder," Knight said. "Remember the taste of defeat and let it drive you. It's never good to lose but it's always good to remember the loss. You just have to take that painful feeling and use it as fuel for the next match to propel you to a win."
The teams chance to wash away this defeat will be their next match on November 7th against Texas A&M at home. With the loss, the Tigers fall to 1-1 (0-1 SEC) on the season, while South Carolina moves to 1-2 (1-1 SEC).
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