Oct. 15, 2013
COLUMBIA, S.C. – Riding a five game-winning streak, the second of the season, South (12-1-1, 5-1-0) Carolina moved up six spots in the latest NSCAA/Continental Tire NCAA Division I Women’s National Poll. It is the second-highest ranking in program history, behind only the 2009 team, which reached No. 5 on Oct. 12.
Since entering the poll on Sept. 10 at No. 18, the squad has been a mainstay in the Top 25, only being outside of the Top 20 once. This marks the first time that the team has been in the Top 10 in the coaches’ poll this season.
It is only the eighth time in program history that the team has been ranked in the Top 10 of the poll. The 2009 team owns six of those rankings after having spent four straight weeks in the Top 10 during that season before closing out the final two weeks of the season in the Top 10.
Earlier this year, the Gamecocks reached as high as No. 8 in SoccerAmerica’s Top 25, the program’s highest ranking from the publication since the 2009.
The latest ranking comes on the heels of Head Coach Shelley Smith’s 150th win at South Carolina as the Gamecocks recorded their first comeback win of the season, 2-1, over Alabama at Stone Stadium to remain undefeated at home in 2013. The team has been led all season by its defensive unit, which has allowed only six goals, while earning nine shutouts and giving up just over three shots on goal a game.
This weekend, the Gamecocks head to Columbia, Mo., to face the Tigers on Friday at 7:30 p.m. ET before turning their attention to No. 24 Ole Miss as they take on the Rebels in Oxford, Miss., on Sunday at 2 p.m. ET.
