Oct. 11, 2007

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COLUMBIA, S.C. – The 28th-ranked South Carolina women’s soccer team returns to the road for a trip to the Magnolia State this weekend. The Gamecocks will take on Mississippi State (5-7-0; 1-3-0 SEC) Friday at 8 p.m. EST and conclude with a date at Ole Miss (6-3-3; 3-0-1 SEC) Sunday at 2 p.m.

“It’s always difficult to play SEC games on the road,” head coach Shelley Smith said. “Every point counts. It’s going to be a battle. We had difficult games at both places in the past. We need to make sure we bring our best game. If we do that and improve on some things from last weekend, we should have a good win on the road.”

Carolina is tied in the overall series with both teams, heading into Friday’s game with a 4-4 overall record against the Bulldogs and carrying a 3-3-2 overall record with the Rebels.

Mississippi State and Carolina will both look to make a move in the standings as both teams have three points after two weekends of SEC play. The Gamecocks edged the Bulldogs 1-0 last season at Stone Stadium. Ole Miss sits atop the SEC West standings after posting wins against Alabama, Auburn and Arkansas. The Gamecocks and Rebels played to a 0-0 tie last season at Stone Stadium.

The Gamecocks are led by seniors Erin Sullivan and Darcel Mollon. Mollon leads the team with seven goals and 16 points followed by Sullivan with five goals, five assists and 15 points. Junior Danila Monteiro has contributed five goals in her first season with the Gamecocks. Defensively, Carolina will look to both senior goalkeepers to continue their strong play this season. Lindsay Thorstenson carries a 6-3-0 record and 0.85 goals against average while Laura Armstrong is 3-1-0 with a 0.57 goals against average. Both have recorded three shutouts this season.