Gamecocks Host Tennessee in Next SEC Matchup
#7 Women’s Soccer vs. Tennessee
COLUMBIA, S.C. – No. 7 South Carolina women’s soccer continues its SEC season with Tennessee (8-5-1, 2-4-0 SEC) on Oct. 19 at 7 p.m. on SEC Network +. The Gamecocks are looking to take out the Volunteers for a sixth-straight time.
GAMECOCKS GO 1-0-1 IN LATEST SEC WEEKEND
No. 7 South Carolina women’s soccer (11-1-1, 5-0-1 SEC) finished in a 1-0-1 weekend with a road victory over Kentucky and a scoreless draw against Vanderbilt. Senior goalkeeper Mikayla Krzeczowski extended her career shutout record with her 41st and 42nd career shutouts during the weekend.
“Definitely happy to get another road victory in the SEC,” South Carolina head coach Shelley Smith said after the Kentucky match. “I think we made it a little bit harder on ourselves at times, but we always talk about it being a learning experience and we know we need to be better next time out. We also created some very good opportunities, and their goalkeeper made some great saves to keep them in it.”
“It was unfortunate we didn’t finish some chances today, but also fortunate they didn’t finish some of their chances,” South Carolina head coach Shelley Smith said after the Vanderbilt match. “I think Mikayla [Krzeczowski] and Jyllissa’s saves kept us in it. We did a great job defending today. We needed to find a way to finish in the final third today and sometimes this is just how soccer is. Both teams were good teams and battled it out and we ended in a draw.”
SCOUTING TENNESSEE
Tennessee (8-5-1, 2-4-0 SEC) comes to Stone Stadium as one of the youngest teams in the country with 13 freshmen and 18 total underclassmen. The Volunteers have lost five-straight matches against the Gamecocks dating back to 2012, and have also not scored in that stretch. The 2019 Volunteers are offensively paced by MA Vignola who has scored seven goals and has notched three assists for a team high 17 points. Her 46 shots this season is 21 more than anyone else on the team. In goal, it has been a split season between freshman Lindsey Romig and redshirt sophomore Charli Pogany. Romig has played in every SEC match for the Volunteers excluding the match against Missouri where Pogany made the start and played all 90 minutes. This season Pogany’s goals against average sits at 1.25 in nine matches while Romig’s is at 0.49 in 10 matches.
GAMECOCK NATIONAL STATS
Nationally, the Gamecocks are among the best in goals against average through seven weeks of the season with a team mark of 0.38. That ranks the Gamecocks ninth in the country. Individually, Mikayla Krzeczowski is 13th in the country in goals against average. South Carolina is second in the country in average attendance through the non-conference season with an average of 2,375 fans at each home match.
ABUNDANT EXPERIENCE
Carolina’s starting defense consists of two juniors and three seniors who have combined for 277 collegiate starts. Krzeczowski (78), Tatumn Milazzo (54) and Sarah Eskew (43) have made all of their starts at South Carolina. Center backs Grace Fisk (66) and Anna Patten (36) have made starts at previous schools on top of their time at South Carolina.
IRON MIK
Since taking over the role as the starting goalkeeper in 2016 Krzeczowski has not missed a match for the Gamecocks. The stretch has reached 78-straight matches over her four seasons without missing a match. During that span, Krzeczowski has picked up 42 clean sheets and holds the current goals against average record for a career at Carolina at 0.47.
WEEKLY GREATNESS
Coming in at No. 7 in the latest United Soccer Coaches Poll, South Carolina has now been in the top 25 for 45-straight weeks dating back to 2016. The streak is the longest since the program began keeping track in 2007.
IT’S ALWAYS SPOOKY SEASON
With Carolina’s 1-0 win over No. 13 Arkansas on Sept. 29, the Gamecocks have increased their number of ranked opponents defeated at Stone Stadium to 12 over the past four years. South Carolina also holds a 47-5-2 record at Stone Stadium in the last 53 matches.
IT JUST MEANS MORE – TO THE GAMECOCKS
Over the past seven seasons, the Gamecocks have been near the top of the SEC standings almost every season. Since giving up three goals on Oct. 25, 2012, the Gamecocks have not given up more than two goals in a single SEC match, a streak that covers 72 matches with the Gamecocks holding an impressive 51-12-9 record over that span.
UP NEXT
The Gamecocks will finish its final full weekend of action with matches against Ole Miss and Florida. Carolina will welcome Ole Miss to Stone Stadium on Oct. 24 at 7 p.m. for Senior Night on SEC Network +. South Carolina will then begin its final two matches of the season on the road with Florida on Oct. 27 at 3 p.m. The Florida match can be seen on SEC Network.
QUICK NOTES
– Carolina has won four SEC Player of the Week honors with Tatumn Milazzo (Week 1) and Anna Patten (Week 3), Lauren Chang (Week 5) and Grace Fisk (Week 6) each earning one honor so far
– Mikayla Krzeczowski’s 42 career shutouts gives her the 15th most in NCAA Division I history
– The Gamecocks came back from two goals down to defeat Alabama 5-2, the first time in the Shelley Smith-era that Carolina came from two goals down to win a match
– The Gamecocks have defeated 12 ranked opponents at Stone Stadium over the past four years and hold an overall record of 12-2-0 in that span
– Since Grace Fisk joined the Gamecocks in 2017, the team has a goals against average of 0.43 in the 49 matches she has played
