Oct. 4, 2007

South Carolina vs. Kentucky (Oct. 5 @ 7 p.m.)
South Carolina vs. Vanderbilt (Oct. 7 @ 2 p.m.)

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COLUMBIA, S.C. – The 20th-ranked South Carolina women’s soccer team returns to action Friday in the SEC home opener against Kentucky. The Gamecocks will host a Family Fun Fest before the game with inflatable bounce houses, face painting and mini soccer games with Cocky. The pre-game Fun Fest begins at 5:30 p.m. and the match starts at 7 p.m. All fans will be admitted for one dollar ($1).

Carolina then returns to the pitch against Vanderbilt on Sunday at Stone Stadium. The match begins at 2 p.m. and is part of the THINK PINK promotion. The first 100 fans will receive a Carolina pink T-shirt in support of “Kick for a Cure.” In addition, all youth under 18 will receive $1 admission when wearing a team jersey or T-shirt.

Carolina looks to improve on a 2-10-0 all-time record against Kentucky. Carolina’s two victories came in 2002 and 2003. Each of the past six seasons, the game has been decided by one point.

Vanderbilt holds an 11-1-2 all-time series record over the Gamecocks. USC’s lone victory was a 1-0 decision on Sept. 10, 1999. The Gamecocks and Commodores tied, 1-1, in last season’s SEC Tournament quarterfinals with the Gamecocks advancing past Vanderbilt on penalty kicks (4-3). The other tie was a 1-1 decision in 2004.

The Gamecocks are led by seniors Erin Sullivan and Darcel Mollon. Mollon leads the team with seven goals and 16 points followed by Sullivan with five goals and 14 points. Junior Danila Monteiro has contributed four goals in her first season with the Gamecocks. Defensively, senior goalkeeper Lindsay Thorstenson carries a 6-3-0 record and 0.85 goals against average.

Live gametracker and the audio broadcast can be found online at www.GamecocksOnline.com.

ON THE HORIZON
South Carolina returns to the road for a trip to the Magnolia State. The Gamecocks will take on Mississippi State (4-6; 0-2) Friday at 8 p.m. EST and conclude with a date at Ole Miss (4-3-3; 1-0-1) Sunday at 2 p.m.

SCOUTING KENTUCKY
Kentucky dropped its first two conference matches after beginning the season 6-0-2. The Wildctas have played two teams that were ranked so far this season, tying #15 Purdue in the season opener, 0-0, and recording another tie at #22 Louisville, 0-0, in the non-conference finale. Marshall is the lone common opponent – the Wildcats recorded a dramatic 2-1 (2OT) victory in the final seconds while the Gamecocks defeated the Thundering Herd 4-0.

SCOUTING VANDERBILT
Vanderbilt has had a tough stretch in non-conference play before going 1-0-1 in last week’s SEC opener. The Commodores battled Alabama to a 1-1 tie before falling at Auburn, 2-1, Sunday. Senior Sarah Dennis leads the Commodores with four goals and 10 points, followed by freshman Molly Kinsella with three goals and three assists for nine points.

HOME UNBEATEN STREAK
The Gamecocks carry a 14-match unbeaten streak at Stone Stadium. South Carolina went 8-0-3 in Columbia last season, the first time that the Gamecocks went an entire season without a loss at Stone Stadium. The streak includes dates with nationally ranked Tennessee and Florida. The Gamecocks have outscored opponents by an average of 2.6-0.4 points during the streak.

SHOTS ON GOAL AT THE TOP
South Carolina has a knack for getting the ball on the goal as the team ranks second in the SEC in shot on goal percentage (0.568). The Gamecocks place two players on the individual top 10 list in Danila Monteiro (.833-T5th) and Shannon Bigbie (.800). Amanda Dabbenigno (1.000) and Monica Hogan (.889) also display accuracy but do not have enough attempts to be included in the rankings.