GAINESVILLE, Fla. – A goal in the final 10 minutes gave South Carolina the win over Florida Thursday evening at the Donald R. Dizney Stadium. The victory also gave the Gamecocks their second consecutive Southeastern Conference regular-season title with a 9-0-1 league record.

Florida finished third in the SEC standings. The Gators face No. 6 seed Auburn on Oct. 31 in the league tournament held at Orange Beach, Ala.
 
It was the Gators' second consecutive match versus a top-12 team – and these meetings come in a five-day span. Florida defeated No. 11 Tennessee 2-1 Sunday in Knoxville.
 
It was the sixth consecutive time a single goal decided a match between these two programs. Each of the last three meetings were 1-0 wins, as the two teams split in 2016 regular season (USC win) and SEC Tournament action (UF win).
 
This is the ninth time in the all-time series history – and the fourth consecutive - that Florida and South Carolina rank in the top-25 for a meeting. The last was in the 2016 SEC Tournament semifinal when then No. 15 Florida defeated then No. 2 South Carolina 1-0.  


 
How the Goal Was Scored:
In the 80^th minute, Elexa Bahr hit the only goal of the match. She received the ball from Savannah McCaskill and moved through the top of the box. Her shot hit from 12 yards.
 
Florida had opportunities, including in the 67^th minute when Mayra Pelayo brought the ball deep into the Gamecock box. Her cross found Deanna Rose in the box, but her shot was just wide of the far post.
 
For the match, USC outshot the Gators 9-5 and both teams turned in two shots on goal.
 

 
Records:
Florida: 13-5-0, 7-3 SEC
South Carolina: 15-1-1 9-0-1 SEC
 
What the Gators Said:
On today's match:
"I think there were some stretches when South Carolina controlled parts of the game, but I feel like our team played hard. They did a great job at finishing their chance, and I give credit to them. I'm a fan of South Carolina. I think they're one of the best teams in this league, and they have done that consistently.
 
"But I also think we have the talent. That's one of the top teams in the country. We have the ability to execute and be right there with them. We have the work ethic to be right there with them. So for me, I mean, my biggest hope is we see them again." - Florida Head Coach Becky Burleigh
 
On the impact of Gabby Seiler being sidelined:
"Missing pieces like her and Kristen [Cardano] shifts things and it changes our depth situation a little bit. I think that showed a little bit tonight, but again, that's just kind of a recent development so we're going to have to work through those because I think we have people who can provide that depth." - Florida Head Coach Becky Burleigh
 
On learning from this game:
"They definitely didn't quit. They showed a lot of grit, particularly at the end of that match. We probably had one of our best chances late. Nobody laid down. Everybody just started to fight, and they kept fighting. I think it was just one of those things that we might have run out of a little steam at different parts of the match, but that something again - we will learn how to deal with loses of players and filling those holes." - Florida Head Coach Becky Burleigh
 
On what frustrated the defense early:
"They were holding a high line the whole game. They are really good at high pressuring everybody. Our coaches just told us at halftime to just play how we played in the first half. I think we both did a good job of pressuring each other really high. It was just unfortunate at the end, but it was a really good first half and second half for both of us." – junior defender Julia Lester
 
On how well Florida played a team of this caliber:
"They're one of the top teams in the country, and we definitely gave them a challenge. I think they out played us a little bit tonight but our energy, our effort was totally there, and we're excited to see them again. Hopefully we meet them in the SEC Tournament." – junior midfielder Sarah Troccoli
 
Rankings:
Florida ranks No. 17 on the United Soccer Coaches poll and South Carolina is No. 3.
 
Next up:
The Southeastern Conference Tournament is next for the top 10 teams in the final league standings. Here's the schedule for the opening two days of the event, which returns to the Orange Beach Sportsplex in Orange Beach, Ala.
 

Southeastern Conference Tournament Schedule
Orange Beach SportsPlex – Orange Beach, Ala.
Play-in – Oct. 29
2 pm	Match 1: Alabama vs. Missouri
4:30 pm	Match 2: Arkansas vs Mississippi
First Round – Oct. 31
1 pm	Match 3: Texas A&M vs Winner Match 1
3:30 pm	Match 4: Florida vs. Auburn
6 pm	Match 5: South Carolina vs Winner Match 2
8:30 pm	Match 6: Vanderbilt vs Tennessee
Semifinal – Nov. 2
4:30 pm	Match 7: Winner Match 5 vs Winner Match 6
7 pm	Match 8: Winner Match 3 vs Winner Match 4
Final – Nov. 5
3 pm	Match 9: Winner Match 7 vs Winner Match 8
All times ET

 
All eight matches of the SEC Soccer Tournament air live on the SEC Network.
 
Hear Kyle Crooks' call of all Florida SEC Tournament action via GatorVision.com.
 
South Carolina (15-1-1, 9-0-1 SEC) vs Florida (13-5-0, 7-3 SEC)
Stadium: Donald R. Dizney Stadium (924)
Weather: 64 degrees, winds E 3 mph, 41% humidity
 

Goals by Period	1	2		Total
South Carolina	0	1		1
Florida	0	0		0

 
Scoring Summary:

No.	Time	Team	Goal Scorer	Assist	Description
1.	79:57	USC	Elexa Bahr	Savannah McCaskill	10yd breakaway

 
Shots: South Carolina 9, Florida 5
Saves: South Carolina 2 (Mika Krzeczowski 1, TEAM 1), Florida 1 (Kaylan Marckese 1)