Gamecock Women’s Soccer on Facebook
Follow @GamecockWSoccer on Twitter

South Carolina vs East Carolina | Sunday, September 9 | 1 p.m.

| Live Webcast (Free) | Game Notes

COLUMBIA, S.C. – South Carolina looks to return to its winning ways Sunday when the Gamecocks take on East Carolina in the non-conference finale at Stone Stadium. Kickoff between the Gamecocks and Pirates is scheduled for 1 p.m.
Fans can park in the Athletics Village Parking Garage adjacent to Stone Stadium on Heyward Street. Season Tickets for the 2012 season are currently on sale. Ticket prices are $25 for adults and $10 for youth. They can be purchased at GamecocksOnline.com or by calling (800) 4SC-FANS.

ON THE HORIZON
The Gamecocks open SEC play at home with Mississippi State and Missouri coming to Stone Stadium next weekend. The match against the nationally-ranked Tigers will air live on ESPNU.

SCOUTING ECU
East Carolina was picked by the coaches to finish 7th in the Conference USA preseason poll. The Pirates bring a 3-3-0 record into Columbia after knocking off High Point Thursday night. The Pirates are led by sophomore Lexi Miller’s two goals and classmate Danielle Romano’s three assists on the season. Junior Christiane Cordero sports a 1.49 goals against average with shutouts against Old Dominion and Davidson. South Carolina holds a 3-0 series advantage against East Carolina after taking a 4-1 neutral site win in 2002, a 1-0 win at Stone Stadium in 2008 and a 4-0 win at ECU last season.

D’ANGELO RETURNS
Sophomore Sabrina D’Angelo missed the first four games of the season while competing for Canada at the FIFA Under-20 Women’s World Cup in Japan, but the reigning SEC Freshman and Defensive Player of the Year made her return to Columbia in time for the Clemson match. D’Angelo registered two saves in her first game back at South Carolina.
Canada went 1-2-0 and finished third in Group C behind North Korea and Norway. D’Angelo registered 16 saves, one shutout and stopped a penalty kick against Norway in the tourney.

SENIOR CLASSES SET THE BAR HIGH
The 2011 senior class left Columbia as the winningest and most-accomplished class in program history after accumulating a four-year record of 61-22-10 (.710), ranking 15th in the nation and second in the SEC for total victories from 2008-11. The Class of 2011 advanced to four consecutive NCAA Tournaments and won two SEC titles (2009 Tournament, 2011 Regular Season).
The 2012 senior class of Dani Henry and Darien Vercillo will look to surpass those numbers with a strong year. The 2012 class currently holds a record of 52-19-7 (.712), just 10 victories shy of setting the new record. The duo will also look to become the first class to advance to the NCAA Second Round all four years.

SHUTOUT DEFENSE
Defense has been the calling card for Shelley Smith’s Gamecocks, and the 2012 season shows early signs of continuing that character trait despite the lack of depth at the position due to various injuries. South Carolina has posted three shutouts in its five games this season to lead the SEC, and the team sports a 0.54 goals against average after allowing only three goals so far this season.

<>
Three of South Carolina’s five matches so far this season have gone to overtime, and the Gamecocks are 0-2-1 in those fixtures. Both of Carolina’s losses this season have come in extra time (Minnesota 2-1, Clemson 1-0) as Shelley Smith’s team has been able to stay ahead or on even ground in every regulation match this season. However, after keeping the opponent at bay through 90 minutes in each match, the Gamecocks have yet to notch a golden goal, something that was not a problem in 2011 when South Carolina went 3-1-0 in overtime matches.

HOME AT THE STONE
South Carolina has been nearly unstoppable at Stone Stadium the past five seasons, posting a 48-10-6 record at home since 2006. The streak included a 15-game unbeaten streak from Aug. 31, 2006-Oct. 5, 2007 and a 13-game unbeaten streak at “The Graveyard” from Oct. 19, 2007-Oct. 23, 2008. The lone blemishes on the record are a double-overtime loss to Vanderbilt (Oct. 7, 2007), a loss to #7 Florida (Oct. 30, 2008), two thrillers against #14/13 Wake Forest (2009 and 2011) and losses to Louisville, Kentucky, #23 Minnesota, #20 Georgia and #8 Florida.