Game Notes in PDF Format
Download Free Acrobat Reader
Oct. 12, 2006
Columbia, S.C. – South Carolina women’s soccer returns home to meet Mississippi State and Ole Miss this weekend. Kickoff for Friday’s home match vs. Mississippi State is scheduled for 7 pm at Stone Stadium. Sunday’s match vs. the Rebels has been selected as the SEC Game of the Week with a 2 pm start. Four of Carolina’s last five regular season matches are at home at Stone Stadium. Live gametracker stats and live audio broadcast for both matches are available at uscsports.com.
Friday is Military Appreciation Night with $1 admission for anyone with a Military ID. Gamecock youth soccer fans can also wear their youth soccer jersey and get in for $1. Sunday’s match vs. Ole Miss is Carolina Crazy Day with $3 admission for any fan showing school spirit and wearing USC attire.
Carolina enters the weekend in fifth place in the SEC with a 9-5-1 record and a 3-2-1 mark in the conference. Friday night’s opponent, Mississippi State, is currently 2-11 and 1-5 in the SEC. Ole Miss is 7-4-3 and 3-0-3 in the conference heading into the weekend.
COMMENTS FROM HEAD COACH Shelley Smith
On this weekend’s matches
“We are excited to be home again. We knew last week was going to be a tough road trip and unfortunately we didn’t get any points out of that weekend. It’s just two games out of many more to go. We are still in good position and it’s important we get back to what we do best that has made us a successful team. You hit a point in the season where you maybe a little tired, beat-up, distracted, and I think we’ve moved past that and are ready to go. It’s important to gain momentum as we go forward into the latter part of our season.”
On improving from last weekend’s performances
“We are still taking a lot from the weekend. I think it made us refocus ourselves. We kept improving and really took a step back this past weekend. We’ve been winning as a team and losing as a team. Really, last weekend our team was not there and not on top of our game. We have realized that we have to make sure we all play together and come out as a force. Starting yesterday in training, up to the weekend, our players are getting back to being accountable for what they are doing individually that will make us better as a group. These players have a lot of pride. It was not fun to lose on the weekend and they want to change that and get back to having success on the field.”
ONE
It certainly has been tight for South Carolina in many matches this year as USC is currently tied for first in the SEC among schools who have played one-goal matches this year. Both the Gamecocks and Kentucky have each played in nine one-goal matches. South Carolina is 5-4 this season in those matches played including a 3-0 mark at home.
DYNAMIC DEFENSE
South Carolina’s defense this season has been among the best in school history as the Gamecocks have limited opponents to just 10 goals over the course of the season. Last Sunday’s 3-0 loss at Vanderbilt was the first time this year that Carolina had allowed more than one goal in a match. The team’s overall goals against average of 0.66 is fourth best in the conference.
THE SEC RACE
With five matches remaining, South Carolina sits in fifth place in the SEC with 10 points. Carolina is currently three points behind Florida, the current first place team in the conference. Ole Miss leads the SEC Western Division and sits in second place with 12 points with Tennessee and Vanderbilt in a tie for third place at 11 points.
HOME SWEET HOME
Carolina has proven to be a tough team to beat at the Graveyard with a 32-16-4 record (.654) at Stone Stadium under head coach Shelley Smith. The Gamecocks are unblemished at home this year with a 6-0-1 mark in Columbia. The six wins at home is three short of the school record nine that was set in the 1999 season.
Coach Smith’s record at home includes a 24-2 (.923) mark against non-conference teams. USC has won 17 straight home contests vs. non-conference teams dating back to beginning of 2003.
DOUBLE TROUBLE
South Carolina has been very successful over the last six seasons when scoring two goals or more. Carolina has compiled a 40-6-1 record when tallying at least two goals in a match, including a 6-0 mark last season. USC is 6-0 this year scoring two or more goals.
SEC LEADERS
Several South Carolina individuals are among the league leaders heading into the weekend.. Sophomore forward Felicia Schroeder sits in a tie for second place in goals scored with seven as well as a tie for fifth place with 16 points on the year. She also owns an SEC-high five game-winning goals. Freshman forward Samantha Diaz-Matosas and junior defender Courtney Cobbs are also ranked in the conference for assists, both tied for fifth in the SEC with four on the year. Laura Armstrong’s goals against average of 0.56 is second among SEC goalkeepers with her five individual shutouts also tied for third.
UNBEATEN STREAK
South Carolina owned a seven-game unbeaten streak before the team’s 1-0 loss at Kentucky last Friday. The unbeaten streak was one short of a school record eight set back in the 2003 season. During that seven-game unbeaten stretch, South Carolina went 6-0-1 with an incredible 13-1 edge in goals scored. Victories in that strech include wins over state rivals Furman and Clemson, a non-conference win over Jacksonville State, SEC road victories vs. Alabama and Auburn and a regional win over SEC East rival Georgia. The lone tie in the unbeaten streak was vs. nationally ranked Tennessee.
