Aug. 9, 2013
COLUMBIA, S.C. – The South Carolina women’s soccer team continues its preseason on campus in Columbia this week, including a morning practice session at Stone Stadium on Friday. The squad is preparing for next week’s exhibition against College of Charleston on Tuesday and head coach Shelley Smith has been focusing on possession, moving the ball and speed of play during the preseason thus far.
“The first few practices of preseason have been tremendous,” Smith commented after Friday’s morning session. “The work rate is very good. We have a lot of players who have shown they are prepared physically for the season and are learning every day. The freshmen are asking questions and really soaking up new information and fitting in well. That makes our job that much more difficult going into the start of the season, as we have a lot of players to choose from. That is a nice change from last year when we had a lot of injuries and were struggling for numbers to play in certain areas. For us, the start of preseason has been a nice change and we are excited about the growth of the team already.”
Junior midfielder Taylor Leach, a native of Maumee, Ohio, is impressed with the freshmen class. “Overall preseason so far is going very well, especially the 11 freshmen coming in,” Leach said. “They are doing well to adjust to our new formation and as long as we keep up the work everything is looking good. We are getting better every day.”
Senior midfielder Liz Sinclair, a St. Louis, Mo., native, shared some of the same thoughts on the incoming class. “Preseason is going great,” commented Sinclair. “We have 11 new people on the team, but everyone is working hard. We had a tough season last fall, and that is our motivation to get back to the top.”
The Gamecocks will practice again this afternoon, continuing preparations for the Aug. 13 exhibition at College of Charleston.
Season Tickets for the 2013 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.
