April 27, 2015
COLUMBIA, S.C. – On a night that saw all South Carolina student-athletes honored for their efforts throughout the 2014-15 season, the women’s soccer team captured three of the night’s top honors at the 10th annual Gamecock Gala last week at Colonial Life Arena.
Senior Sabrina D’Angelo earned the most prestigious honor of the night, taking home the President’s Award which recognizes an individual that displays extraordinary talents in the areas of athletics, scholarship, leadership and service. D’Angelo is the most decorated student-athlete in South Carolina women’s soccer history. A mainstay in the net since stepping foot in Columbia, she finished her career ranked second in school history with 29 shutouts and 241 saves, while allowing just .764 goals per match. The two-time SEC Defensive Player of the Year earned All-SEC honors in each of her four seasons in the Garnet and Black and became the program’s first two-time First-Team All-America selection. She also earned First-Team Scholar All-America honors twice. A team captain, D’Angelo was the first MAC Hermann Trophy semifinalist in South Carolina history.
D’Angelo was drafted by the NWSL’s Western New York Flash and was named the team’s starting goalkeeper on opening day earlier this month.
For the second year in a row, the Gamecocks were named the Community Service Outreach Team of the Year after totaling 907 hours of service, an average of 31 hours per member.
Senior Taylor Leach, the leader of the team’s community service efforts, was announced as the University’s female nominee for the SEC’s Brad Davis Community Service Award. Leach accumulated over 340 hours of community service over the course of her career and last year. The All-SEC centerback plans to pursue a career in physical therapy and has put in the bulk of her hours at local physical therapy clinics and rehab centers. A 2014 SEC Community Service Team member, Leach has also participated in elementary school visits, the Gamecock Donation Station, and has visited the Ronald McDonald House among many others
After a stellar rookie campaign that resulted in SEC Freshman of the Year honors and a First-Team All-SEC nod, Savannah McCaskill was named co-Female New Student-Athlete of the Year with A’ja Wilson of women’s basketball. McCaskill embraced a new role when asked to change positions after arriving on campus. McCaskill posted a team-high 15 points on five goals and five assists while becoming the first Gamecock to earn multiple SEC Freshman of the Week recognitions. McCaskill took centerstage against then-No. 5 Florida, scoring a pair of goals, including the 89th minute winner, in a 3-2 victory, the Gamecocks’ first over the Gators in Columbia.
Voted on by her teammates and the staff, junior Stevi Parker was named team MVP for the second-straight season. Parker logged nearly every minute of the season that ended in a run to the program’s first NCAA Elite Eight. A 2014 SEC All-Tournament selection, Parker is known for doing the dirty work in the midfield. The junior’s high work rate paid off with three crucial goals and an assist. After an overtime game-winner at Auburn in the SEC opener, Parker helped secure the Gamecocks’ first ever result against powerhouse Texas A&M, drilling an 89th minute rocket into the net for a tie on the road.
South Carolina advanced to the program’s first NCAA Quarterfinal after shutting out No. 6 North Carolina, 1-0, in the Gamecock’s second-ever Round of 16 appearance. South Carolina posted a 14-6-5 mark this season and was No. 9 in the NSCAA final poll, matching the 2009 season as the best-ever final ranking.
