Nov. 14, 2013
COLUMBIA, S.C.– The Gamecocks will host its third first round game in the NCAA Tournament since 2009 on Friday at 7 p.m. against Furman. It marks South Carolina’s sixth trip to the Tournament in the past seven years. Tickets are $8 for adults and $5 or students and children. The first 500 USC students will receive free admission.
WEEKEND INFORMATION
Date/Opponent: Friday, Nov. 15 vs. Furman
Kickoff: 7 p.m. ET
| Live Video
Location: Columbia, S.C.
Stadium: Stone StadiumTickets: Tickets
Scouting Furman
Furman earned an automatic bid to the tournament after winning the Southern Conference tournament. The Paladins have won six-straight matches to run their record to 17-3-2 while capturing the SoCon regular season title with an 8-1-1 league mark.
Furman has scored 55 goals on the year, with Stephanie DeVita and Carlie Couch leading the way with 15 and 12, respectively. India Robinson is the Paladins top distributor with 17 assists.
All-Time vs. Furman
It will be the 16th meeting all-time between the two sides, with South Carolina holding a 12-2-1 edge. The Gamecocks have won the last five contests.
Common Opponents
The Gamecocks and Furman played three common opponents in 2013 – Clemson, Georgia and Mississippi State. The Paladins posted a 4-0 win at Mississippi State and dropped matches at Clemson (0-1) and Georgia (0-2). South Carolina recorded a 3-1-0 mark against the opponents with the lone loss coming on the road at Georgia. The Gamecocks avenged the defeat with a 4-0 victory over the Bulldogs at last week’s SEC Tournament.
Against the Tournament Field
Against this year’s 64-team-field, South Carolina has a 5-1-2 record, posting wins over Duke, Northeastern, Arkansas, Florida and Kentucky and picking up draws at Boston University and Ole Miss. Its only loss came in the SEC Tournament semifinals against No. 21 Texas A&M, its only loss against a Top 25 team this season.
In the NCAA Tournament
The Gamecocks are 4-5-1 all-time in the NCAA Tournament, with their last win coming at home in 2011 with a 1-0 win over Texas. South Carolina had its deepest run in 2009 when the team reached the third round, before falling to Wake Forest in the third round, 1-0, in the final seconds.
Opening With A Statement At Orange Beach
After falling to Georgia 2-0 on Sept. 20, their first loss of the season, the Gamecocks made a statement in their SEC Tournament opening game against the Bulldogs with a resounding 4-0 win. It was only the second time the squad had scored four goals in a game this season. All four goals came from a different player (Danielle Au, Gabrielle Gilbert, Coryn Bajema, Daija Griffin). No other quarterfinal matchup saw more than two goals in a game.
Rolling Through the Regular Season
With a record of 15-2-2, the 2013 Gamecocks narrowly edged the 2009 squad for the best regular-season record in program history. The 2009 team ended the regular season with a record of 15-3-1 before winning the program’s first SEC Tournament championship, earning a No. 2 seed in the NCAA Tournament and finishing with a program-best 19 wins.
Winning Close
After going 4-7-4 a year ago in games decided by a goal or less, this season’s team which lost only two seniors has reversed its fortune this year. 15 of the Gamecocks 21 games this season have been decided by a goal or less with the team going 11-2-2.
On Wednesday, South Carolina earned its fourth SEC Tournament in the last five trips and will look to reach its third tournament final during that span with its semifinal matchup against Texas A&M.
SEC’s Elite
On Nov. 4, junior goalkeeper Sabrina D’Angelo was tabbed SEC Defensive Player of the Year for the second time in her career after sharing the honor in 2011. The All-SEC selection was the third of her career. Also earning SEC honors was redshirt junior defender Taylor Leach who joined D’Angelo on the First Team, while midfielder Chelsea Drennan made the All-Freshmen Team.
Gamecock Milestone
Against Alabama on Oct. 11, Head Coach Shelley Smith earned her 150th win at South Carolina. 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 win more than 78 percent of their games. During that time, the South Carolina is has a 62-14-7 record at home.
This season, the Gamecocks are 10-0 at “The Graveyard”, allowing only four goals, twice coming from behind to win with under 10 minutes remaining. It is the first time in program history that a South Carolina team has won 10 games at home in a regular season.
