Feb. 21, 2017

COLUMBIA, S.C. – Gamecock women’s soccer coach Shelley Smith released South Carolina’s 2017 spring schedule Tuesday, announcing a six-match slate that gets underway later this week.

Carolina, which trained for the first time in 2017 last week, opens its spring season with a home match against Coastal Carolina this Saturday (Feb. 25) at 11 a.m. ET. The Gamecocks defeated the Chanticleers 1-0 during the 2015 regular season in the first meeting between the schools.

South Carolina will play a pair of neutral matches on Sat., March 18, when it faces Georgia and Columbus State at the Carolina Elite Soccer Academy (CESA) facility in Greenville, S.C. The Gamecocks battle the Bulldogs at noon before playing the Cougars later that day at 3 p.m.

“They’ve been working hard everyday since January when they got back into the weight room to do some conditioning,” Smith said. “You can see that has paid off since they’ve come out to the field. We’re excited with what they’ve started off the spring with.”

The annual Alumni Game is slated for Sat., Apr. 1, at Stone Stadium, and the Gamecocks will return to action the following day for a home contest against College of Charleston on Apr. 2. Carolina has suffered just one loss in seven regular-season matches against the Cougars.

The Gamecocks will hold their Fan Appreciation Clinic later that week on Wed., Apr. 5 from 5:30-7:30 p.m. ET at Stone Stadium. The event, which is open to girls ages 5-12, will include a free clinic, small-sided scrimmage and a raffle. Interested participants can contact Clark McCarthy (MCCART43@mailbox.sc.edu or 803-777-1940) for more information.

Carolina’s final match day of the spring will be on Apr. 8 and feature games against Wake Forest (10 a.m.) and NC State (2 p.m.). The Gamecocks notched a 3-0 victory over the Wolfpack this past fall, holding NC State to just one shot on goal in the win at Stone Stadium.

The time and date of each of Carolina’s six matches are subject to change. Follow the team on Twitter (@GamecockWSoccer) for more updates throughout the spring.