Oct. 5, 2017

KANSAS CITY, Mo. — South Carolina’s soccer programs both earned NSCAA Team Academic Awards, the association announced on Thursday. The Gamecocks are one of 195 schools from all levels of college soccer to have both the men’s and women’s teams earn the distinction.

A total of 813 soccer teams (282 men, 531 women) from throughout the United States have earned the NSCAA Team Academic Award for exemplary performance in the classroom as a team during the 2016-17 academic year.

To qualify for the award, the team must have a minimum grade point average of 3.0 or higher for the entire academic year. The team GPA is determined by adding every player’s GPA, then dividing by the number of players. Shelley Smith’s women’s team has taken the honor now 15 times in history, including each of the last ten seasons.

Mark Berson’s men’s group has garnered the accolade 12 times, including twice having the highest GPA amongst NCAA Division I teams.

The No. 3 Gamecock women’s soccer team (10-1-0, 4-0-0 SEC) looks to extend its winning streak to nine games when it hosts Mississippi State (7-1-3, 1-1-2 SEC) tonight at Stone Stadium. Kickoff is set for 7 p.m. ET, and the match can be seen on SEC Network+/WatchESPN.

The Carolina men (4-6-1, 0-2-1 C-USA) return to action Sunday afternoon as they hit the road for a C-USA battle at No. 20 Kentucky (6-2-2, 3-1-0 C-USA). Kickoff is slated for 2 p.m. ET with the match aired on SEC Network+/WatchESPN.