Sept. 6, 2016
COLUMBIA, S.C. ââ’¬” Following a pair of victories this past week that pushed its winning streak to five matches, South Carolina women’s soccer moved back into the NSCAA Top-25 poll. The Gamecocks, who remain unbeaten (5-0-1) this season, are ranked No. 15 in the weekly coaches poll that was released Tuesday afternoon.
South Carolina was the first team receiving votes in last week’s poll, and its jump to No. 15 marked the biggest move of any team. The Gamecocks downed No. 6 Clemson 2-1 on Saturday (Sept. 3) before picking up a 3-0 victory over Charlotte on Monday (Sept. 5). Last weekend’s victory over the Tigers was South Carolina’s fifth win over a top-10 opponent since 2014.
Florida State (3-1-0) remains atop the poll, while Stanford (5-0-0) and Virginia (5-0-1) round out the top three. No. 5 Florida (4-1-0), No. 11 Texas A&M (4-2-0) and No. 25 Arkansas (5-1-0) mark the other SEC schools listed in the Top 25.
With a mark of 5-0-1, South Carolina is off to its best start since 2013, when it went unbeaten throughout its first eight matches. Five Gamecocks have registered multiple goals, including the SEC Offensive Player of the Week Savannah McCaskill. Defensively, Carolina ranks third in the league in goals against average (0.64), and it’s tied for fourth with two shutouts.
The Gamecocks aim for their sixth-straight win on Friday when they open SEC play at home against Georgia. Kickoff from Stone Stadium is scheduled for 7 p.m. ET.
