Oct. 31, 2011
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By Miquel Jacobs
Assistant Media Relations Director
COLUMBIA, S.C. – South Carolina swept the SEC Offensive and Defensive Player of the Week honors with senior Kayla Grimsley and freshman Christa Neary earning selections for their heroics in Carolina’s 2-1 victory at Florida in the regular season finale.
Grimsley was named SEC Offensive Player of the Week for the second consecutive week in addition to being named to the 13-person Our Game Magazine Player To Watch list. Neary was named SEC Defensive Player of the Week in addition to being named to a CS360 Primetime Performer of the Week. A third Gamecock, Danielle Au, also earned a national honor as a selection alongside Grimsley no the Our Game Magazine list.
Grimsley scored just 2:12 into the SEC title match against Florida to lead South Carolina to a 2-1 win and their first ever SEC regular season and Eastern division titles. Grimsley’s goal in the third minute ended a 14-year scoring drought for the Gamecocks in Gainesville, marking the first time a Gamecock has scored at James G. Pressly Field since the 1997 season. It was also Grimsley’s first career goal against her hometown Gators, making Florida the last SEC school that the South Carolina all-time leading scorer hadn’t scored against. Grimsley scored after fighting off Gator All-American Kat Williamson for the ball and rifling a shot into the net from nine yards out. The score was her 10th of the season, making her just the second Gamecock to score double-digit goals in three consecutive years.
Neary assisted on Danielle Au’s game-winning goal at Florida that won the 2011 SEC regular season and East division title for South Carolina. South Carolina’s starter at right back, Neary sent a cross into the box in the 21st minute that Au headed home to give Carolina it’s first ever win in Gainesville and ended Florida’s run of five-consecutive SEC titles. The defensive starter was instrumental in shutting down the Gator attack and limited Florida to only two shots on goal in the 90-minute contest – a season-low total for Florida. It is the seventh time in 11 conference games this season that South Carolina has limited the opposition to four shots on goal or less in a match to solidify the Gamecocks as the top defensive squad in the league.
Au scored the game-winning goal at 21:40 with a header for 16 yards out to give the Gamecocks their first win in Gainesville. It was the fourth game-winning goal of the season for Au and her seventh score of the season.
No. 1 seed South Carolina takes on No. 8 seed Alabama in the SEC Tournament quarterfinals. Kickoff between the Gamecocks and Crimson Tide is set for 6 p.m. (ET).
