Oct. 10, 2013
COLUMBIA, S.C. – Coming off of one of the most successful weekends in the program’s 19-year history with overtime victories on the road at No. 8 Florida and Tennessee, South Carolina looks to extend its four-game SEC winning streak on Friday as the squad hosts Alabama at 7 p.m. ET at Stone Stadium.
WEEKEND INFORMATION
Date/Opponent: Friday, Oct. 11 vs. Alabama
Kickoff: 7 p.m. ET
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Location: Columbia, S.C.
Stadium: Stone Stadium Tickets: Tickets
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On the Horizon
After a tough road trip last weekend, the Gamecocks hit the road next weekend longest trip of the season as they head to Missouri on Friday night before playing Ole Miss on Sunday afternoon.
Scouting Alabama
Despite going 2-5 and scoring only four goals in the non-conference season, picked things up in a big way in conference play recording three-straight wins over Vanderbilt, Tennessee and Georgia as they scored 12 goals combined. The Crimson Tide are coming off of a 2-1 double overtime loss against LSU.
Alabama is led by its Dutch attackers in forward Pia Rijsdijk and midfielder Merel Van Donge,n who each have four goals on the season. Rijsdijk also has a pair of assists to add to her team-leading 10 points. Sophomore forward Katie Bourgeois leads the Tide helpers with four. In goal, sophomore Emily Rusk has taken over for senior Shelby Church and has 49 saves, including a 19-save performance earlier this season versus Colorado
All-Time vs. Alabama
South Carolina holds an 11-4 advantage all-time against Alabama with a 6-1 edge in matches played in Columbia, S.C. The Gamecocks have not dropped a game since the first match that the two sides played against one another in 1997. Carolina has outscored the Tide 16-2 in its six-straight home wins.
Approaching 150
Now in her 13th season at South Carolina, Head Coach Shelley Smith currently one win shy of earning her 150th win Columbia. Since 2006, Smith has averaged just over 13 wins a season including a program-best 19 in 2009.
Welcome to the Graveyard
Since 2006, the Gamecocks have cultivated a home-field advantage at Stone Stadium that has help them post a winning percentage of 0.781. During that time, the South Carolina is has a 59-14-7 record at home. This season, the Gamecocks are 7-0 at “The Graveyard”, allowing only one goal.
Coming Through In the Clutch
With a 2-1 double overtime win at No. 8 Florida and a 1-0 win over Tennessee in overtime last weekend, the Gamecocks are 2-0-1 this season when games have gone into extra time. The two wins ties the 1995 team with the most overtime victories in a season. That season, the Gamecocks were 2-1-2 in overtime games.
Captain’s Golden Touch
With just under 90 seconds remaining in the second overtime at No. 8 Florida, redshirt junior defender and co-captain, Taylor Leach got on the end of freshman midfielder Chelsea Drennan’s corner kick and headed the ball inside the right post to give the Gamecocks massive win on the road. It was only the second goal of the centerback’s career.
For her goal and her defensive efforts on two of the most dangerous strikers in the conference, Leach was named SEC Defensive Player of the Week in addition to be being named to TopDrawerSoccer’s Team of the Week and CS360’s Primetime Performances Weekly Honor Roll.
First Time For Everything
With the win over No. 8 Florida in Gainesville, Fla., South Carolina became the first team in SEC history to defeat the Gators in back-to-back games at James G. Pressly Stadium. The victory also marked the Gamecocks second win over a Top 10 opponent this season, making it the first time in school history that a team has accomplished the feat.
National Attention
With four wins in a row, the Gamecocks are steadily moving back up the rankings this week. Currently the team is ranked No. 13 by NSCAA No. 15 by SoccerAmerica, No. 16 by TopDrawerSoccer, No. 13 by SoccerTimes and No. 16 by OurGameMagazine. In the third week of the RPI, South Carolina is the highest ranked team in the SEC, moving up one spot to No. 8.
