Nov. 1, 2009

COLUMBIA, S.C. – The South Carolina women’s soccer team has earned the fourth seed in the Southeastern Conference Tournament and will face fifth-seeded Georgia Wednesday, Nov. 4 at 7:30 p.m. (CT) in the final quarterfinal match. The SEC Tournament is held at the Orange Beach Soccer Complex in Orange Beach, Ala.

The matchup marks the second consecutive year that the Gamecocks and Bulldogs will meet in the No. 4/5 quarterfinal pairing. Georgia defeated South Carolina 2-1 in the night match last season.

South Carolina (15-3-1, 7-3-1 SEC) had a record breaking regular season with a program-best second place finish in the SEC East and came within one game of winning the overall title. Georgia (14-4-1, 7-4-0 SEC) finished third in the SEC East. The Gamecocks advance to their fourth consecutive SEC Tournament under Coach Shelley Smith, whose team has improved in the conference standings each of the past five seasons after finishing sixth in the East in 2005, fifth in 2006, fourth in 2007 and third in 2008.

The Gamecocks hold a 1-7-1 overall record in seven appearances in the SEC Tournament, but the team has advanced to the semifinal round twice in the past three seasons. The Gamecocks defeated Tennessee 2-0 in the 2007 quarterfinal match for the program’s first tournament victory.

Georgia defeated South Carolina 2-1 in the regular season matchup on Oct. 16 to give the Gamecocks, ranked fifth in the nation at the time, their first loss of the season. The winner of the South Carolina-Georgia match will face the winner of the Florida-Tennessee match at 7:30 p.m. Friday, Nov. 6. The SEC Championship is scheduled for Sunday, Nov. 8 at 2:30 p.m.

SEC TOURNAMENT PAIRINGS (All times central)
#2 LSU vs. #7 Vanderbilt – Noon
#3 Ole Miss vs. #6 Auburn – 2:30 p.m.
#1 Florida vs. #8 Tennessee – 5 p.m.
#4 South Carolina vs. #5 Georgia – 7:30 p.m.