Carolina Cup Notes
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Sept. 8, 2005
Columbia, S.C. – The South Carolina women’s soccer team returns to action this weekend with their second consecutive non-conference tournament as the Gamecocks travel to Clemson, S.C. for the Carolina Cup. South Carolina (3-1) will meet Clemson (2-1-1) on Friday night at 7:30 p.m. with a match on Sunday vs. Charlotte (1-3) at 1 p.m. Furman is also playing in the tournament this weekend but will not face the Gamecocks. Live gametracker stats for Friday night will be available at uscsports.com with live audio broadcast also available for the match.
The tournament was started to create an annual event that would bring four of the top region teams together for a weekend of competition. This is the first year of this tournament and it will rotate on a yearly basis at each participating school.
“It was an idea we came up with as coaches to try to avoid midweek games and try to showcase our games,” said USC head coach Shelley Smith. “South Carolina-Clemson has been a battle and it is a great example of what this state has to offer for women’s soccer. There is a lot of great talent in this state and people can’t always make the games during the midweek. It’s a great opportunity for fans to try to see us play on the weekend in a night game. It’s nice to be able to have teams like Furman and Charlotte come in and be a part of this tournament atmosphere.”
Furman and Charlotte will open the tournament on Friday, at 5 p.m. On Sunday, Sept. 11, Carolina will face Charlotte at 1 p.m. and Clemson will play Furman at 3:30 p.m.
The Gamecocks and Tigers renew their in-state rivalry in the nightcap on Friday. South Carolina defeated Clemson in Columbia last season 2-0 and will be looking for the team’s first victory in school history at Riggs Field.
“I think going to Clemson is to their advantage, but we have to know that is just going to be what we have to face and make the most of it,” said Smith. “We have to play our game no matter where we are. I think both teams will be up for it. They obviously don’t want to lose to us for a second year in a row. I think that’s something they weren’t used to and it was a great turn of events for us. We hope that continues.”
Sarah Lentz and Amanda Thurber each scored goals in last year’s match as the Gamecocks knocked off the seventh ranked Tigers. USC wasted no time getting on top of the Tigers with a goal in the 11th minute by Lentz. Ashley Kirk’s corner kick sailed to the far post and was headed on forward by Kimmy Gillespie, with Lentz knocking the shot in on the right side of the goal box to give Carolina a one-goal lead. The match would remain 1-0 until late in the second half as both teams battled throughout the match. Thurber would put the finishing touches on the match with a goal at 83:20 to give USC a two-goal cushion. Lexi Randazzo played a breaking Thurber, who drove down the left side of the box and past the Clemson defense alone inside the “18” and knocked a shot to the right corner and past Tiger goalkeeper Lauren Johnston.
South Carolina heads into this weekend following a 1-1 performance at the Auburn Reebok Classic last week. USC defeated Rhode Island 2-0 before seeing their three-game winning streak snapped in a 1-0 loss to Cal State Fullerton.
“I think defensively we played real well against Cal State Fullerton,” said Smith. “We stopped them from having many chances they had against previous opponents. If we have that effort, combined with some more chances and finishing our chances on the offensive third, I think we will do very well this weekend.”
