Sept. 14, 2011

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By Miquel Jacobs
Assistant Media Relations Director

South Carolina vs. Charlotte | Thursday, 7 p.m.

| Live Video Broadcast (Free) | Game Notes

COLUMBIA, S.C. – South Carolina renews its rivalry with Charlotte this week when the teams play at Stone Stadium for a Thursday night fixture.

The Gamecocks and 49ers have played eight times since 1996, but the teams have not met since South Carolina took a 2-0 victory in Charlotte on Sept. 14, 2007. Charlotte leads the all-time series 6-2-0.

ON THE HORIZON
The Gamecocks conclude their non-conference schedule with a home game against No. 13 Wake Forest Sunday at a rare 5 p.m. start. Fans who bring a Navy football ticket will receive $1 admission.

SCOUTING CHARLOTTE
Charlotte enters Thursday night’s match with a 2-4-2 record after road losses to nationally-ranked Tennessee and Memphis last week. The 49ers are led in scoring by senior Macky Wingo who is the team leader in goals (2), assists (2) and points (6). Sophomore Alex Kubrick has received the most time in goal and sports a 2.23 goals against average to go with 28 saves and two solo shutouts. The Gamecocks and 49ers have played two common opponents this season in East Carolina and UNC Wilmington. South Carolina defeated ECU (4-0) and UNC Wilmington (2-0), and Charlotte went 1-1 agains the schools with a 1-0 win against UNC Wilmington and a 3-1 loss to East Carolina.

GRIMSLEY HITS THE ASSIST RECORD
Senior Kayla Grimsley tied the program record for career assists in Sunday’s win against UNC Wilmington after earning her 24th career assist in the second half. Grimsley ties the record set by Mindy Sanders from 1996-99, a record that has held strong for 12 seasons. The assist on Kortney Rhoades’s goal in the 58th minute was the first of the season for Grimsley.

FAHEY EARNS NATIONAL HONOR
Senior defender Ellen Fahey was named to the Our Game Magazine team of the week last week after captaining the backline to back-to-back shutouts at the Carolina Cup. Fahey was the only Gamecock to play all 180 minutes in South Carolina’s 2-0 wins against Clemson and UNC Wilmington and led her team to the Carolina Cup title. The leader at center back was instrumental in limiting the two teams to a combined three shots on goal throughout the weekend, including limiting Clemson to only one shot on frame to lead the Gamecocks to their fourth consecutive win over the in-state rivals.

D’ANGELO SIDELINED AND VERCILLO STEPS IN
Freshman goalkeeper Sabrina D’Angelo started the first six games of the season before suffering a lower leg injury in the second half of the Clemson match. Redshirt sophomore Darien Vercillo earned her first career start against UNC Wilmington and responded with her first solo shutout in keeping the Seahawks scoreless. Both netminders have played regularly throughout the season, and D’Angelo should be able to return in the coming games.

D’ANGELO MAKES AN IMPACT
Freshman goalkeeper Sabrina D’Angelo ranks 18th in the country in goals against average at 0.391 and is 3rd among the nation’s freshmen in the category. The Canadian international ranks first in the SEC in goals against average* heading into the final weekend of the season. (*Goalkeepers must play 50% of a team’s total minutes to be eligible)

SHUTOUT DEFENSE
Defense has been the calling card for Shelley Smith’s Gamecocks, and the 2011 season shows early signs of continuing that character trait despite the abundance of youth in the regular rotation. South Carolina has posted shutouts in all five of its wins and is second in the SEC with three goals against and a 0.42 goals against average.

EFFICIENT OFFENSE
South Carolina is next to last in the SEC with only 69 shots (9.8 shots a game), and is the only team averaging less than 10 shots a game. However, the number is lower due to Carolina being selective with their opportunities, a stat proven by South Carolina leading the league with a 18.8 shot percentage (ratio of goals to shots). Senior Kayla Grimsley is on track to become the first Gamecock to end her career with four seasons shooting over 20 percent. She and Jennie Ondo are the only Gamecocks to have three seasons over the mark.