SPARTANBURG, S.C. – The Presbyterian College women's soccer team was bested by the Big South leaders in their third consecutive contest against a fellow Palmetto State school, dropping a 4-0 decision to USC Upstate on Saturday afternoon.

Improving to 6-1 in conference bouts and thereby positioning themselves to be the number one seed in the Big South Tournament next month, the Spartans opened up the Carolina duel with a three-goal lead after one, cruising to the finish line from there.

Upstate obtained a 24-7 advantage in shots attributed, while junior keeper Kelly Hall had her hands full with a program that just established a school record in their previous encounter over South Carolina State (beating the Bulldogs 10-0).

Hall would deny nine Spartan shots just three days after picking up a career-best 10 saves in an eventual tie with Charleston Southern, although Presbyterian's attack didn't apply as much pressure as the home side enacted which led to the decision.
 
FINAL SCORE: USC Upstate, 4 – Presbyterian, 0
RECORDS: Presbyterian (3-10-2, 2-4-1) – USC Upstate (10-2-4, 6-1)
LOCATION: County University Soccer Stadium (Spartanburg, S.C.)
 
HOW IT HAPPENED
 
- Upstate cashed in on a couple of opportune circumstances right out of the blocks, scoring at 7:18 and 8:41 to put the Blue Hose in a 2-0 hole.

- The Spartans pieced together a well-rounded performance on their way to the win, finding four different goal-scorers on the afternoon.

- A third connection in the 20^th minute hoisted the lead to a trio, while Upstate continued the defensive shutout with a 65:13 strike to account for the final tally.

- The home side grabbed a 10-2 difference in corner kick chances, getting the better of Presbyterian for the third time in a row after PC victories in 2019 and the abbreviated spring '21 campaign.
 
UP NEXT
 
- Head coach Brian Purcell will put an end to his 35^th season in charge of the program next Wednesday for a 6:00 PM tossup against the Lancers of Longwood at Martin Stadium. The final act of the '23 journey will be broadcasted by ESPN+.

- Another squad looking to brush past the crowd and collect the coveted fourth spot in the upcoming conference bracket, Longwood took a step in the right direction after publishing a 2-1 win over Winthrop on Saturday.

- The warring opponents ended at a 1-1 stalemate when they last hooked up 13 months ago, with PC evening the odds in the 59^th minute from Farmville. They'll look to take that result a step further and end the campaign on a high note in the midweek battle four days from now.