Box Score (PDF)

Orangeburg, S.C. – Kenzie Major tied a school record with four goals to lead the USC Upstate women's soccer team to a convincing 4-1 victory over in-state rival South Carolina State Friday evening from Dawson Stadium.

Major becomes just the second Spartan in school history and first in the Division I era with four goals and eight points in a game, as Thea Moen also accomplished the feat against Clayton State on October 23, 2001. Major is also the first Spartan with a multi-goal performance since Michelle Calmeyn scored two goals at Stetson during the 2011 season.

"I have been struggling to finish my opportunities lately, so scoring four goals and not just one was an amazing boost of confidence for myself and my team moving forward," Major said. "It was a great night, and I'm really proud of all the work we've put in."

Major also upped her career points total to 14 and stands in a tie with Santana DeFreitas for second place all-time at Upstate in the Division I era. Major needs three more points to pass Calmeyn and move into sole possession of first place.

"This is something we knew was eventually going to happen for Kenzie," USC Upstate head coach Abby Minihan said. "She has had so many opportunities in each of our previous games, so we knew it was just a matter of time before she would start finishing those chances. It was definitely an incredible night for her and our team."

Upstate struck for the first goal of the game in the 12th minute when Major converted a penalty kick following a foul inside the South Carolina State box.

South Carolina State scored the equalizer just over six minutes later in the 19th minute on an unassisted goal from Dominique Brown.

After 53 straight scoreless minutes that spanned the final 26 minutes of the first half and the opening 27 of the second half, Major erupted for three goals over a 3:34 stretch, beginning with a strike that beat Bulldog keeper Katelyn Kern in the 73rd minute following a pass from freshman Maddie Little.

Major gave the Spartans a 3-1 advantage in the 76th minute with an unassisted goal from the wing. Eight seconds later, Major picked up her final goal of the night off an assist from newcomer Nicki Krejci.

"We played with a lot of fight tonight and really showed what it takes to win," Minihan said. "We showed a much different resolve tonight and we never gave up. We made some adjustments at halftime and had some players come off the bench to really give us a spark. We finally starting clicking on the attack and had some luck go our way."

Junior keeper Ellen Bright registered five saves and picked up her first win of the season.

Upstate will look for its second win of the weekend Sunday afternoon when the Spartans host Furman at 2 p.m. from County University Stadium.

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