Oct. 2, 2014
No. 24 South Carolina (8-3-0, 1-2-0 SEC) will look to get back on track this weekend after dropping a pair of contests to Missouri and No. 22 Georgia at Stone Stadium last weekend. The Gamecocks travel to Alabama (7-3-1, 2-1-0 SEC) on Friday for a match set to kick at 8 p.m. ET, before returning home to host LSU (4-6-2, 0-2-1 SEC) at The Graveyard on Sunday at 1 p.m. ET.
WEEKEND INFORMATION
Date/Opponent: Fri., Oct. 3 at Alabama
Kickoff: 8p.m. ET
Stadium: Alabama Soccer Complex
Date/Opponent: Sun., Oct. 5 vs. LSU
Kickoff: 1 p.m. ET
Stadium: Stone Stadium
Tickets
SEC Network+ Live Stream
Promotions:Women’s Soccer PINK Out – presented by Academy Sports and Outdoors – Pink rally town giveaway, use #Kickforacure; Active Gamecocks Day – Participants receive Gamecock water bottle
SCOUTING ALABAMA
Alabama has posted a 7-3-1 (2-1-0 SEC) record this season, with two of its three losses coming to No. 3 Virginia (0-3) and No. 7 Florida (1-2). Last weekend, the Tide shutout back-to-back SEC opponents on the road for the first time in program history, capturing wins at Tennessee, 1-0 in double overtime, and Vanderbilt, 1-0.
Laura Lee Smith leads the team with 13 points on five goals and three assists, Theresa Diederich has 12 points on four goals and four assists, while Merel van Dongen has a team-leading seven assists and two goals for 11 points. Alabama is second in the SEC, scoring 28 goals this season (2.55/gm) and ranks 18th nationall in points scored (82).
Goalkeeper Emily Rusk is the reigning SEC Defensive Player of the Week after the back-to-back shutouts on the team’s road trip to Tennessee. Rusk owns a 0.79 goals against average and has four total shutouts this season. Alabama has six total clean sheets this season, second to the Gamecocks’ seven.
South Carolina has lost to Alabama just four times in 16 meetings and has won the last two. The teams have never tied.
SCOUTING LSU
LSU (4-6-2, 0-2-1 SEC) snapped a four-game losing streak last Sunday, posting a 3-3 draw with Arkansas. The Tigers have dropped SEC matches to Missouri (1-3) and No. 6 Texas A&M (1-4) this season.
Jorian Baucon and Summer Clarke lead LSU with 15 points apiece, each posting six goals and three assists. Natalia Gomez-Junco leads the team with four assists. Seven Tigers have scored this season with 12 recording at least one assist. Lily Alfeld has taken the bulk of the work in net, earning three clean sheets, but allowing 21 goals for a 1.69 goals against average.
The Tigers bring back three All-SEC selections from last season – striker Summer Clarke, midfielder Emma Fletcher and defender Megan Lee.
The Gamecocks have not lost to LSU since 2009, posting a 3-0-2 record against the Tigers in the previous five meetings. LSU travels to Mississippi State Friday.
STATE OF DEFENSE
For the second-straight season, the Gamecocks moved through non-conference play allowing just one goal (vs. Clemson, Sept. 5). South Carolina has allowed a goal in each of its first three SEC matches, but still boasts a 0.355 goals against average (6th nationally) and is one of just 13 schools in the country to allow four goals or less this season. The Gamecocks have earned seven shutouts in its 11 matches this season. No other SEC team has allowed less than seven goals.
ATTRACTING A CROWD
In seven home matches this season, the Gamecocks lead the nation in average attendance with 3,493. South Carolina has played in front of at least 1,900 fans at each contest at The Graveyard, with a total of 24,448 coming through the gates. On Fri., Sept. 5, South Carolina set a program record with 5,855 in attendance at the rivalry match vs. Clemson. The previous regular-season record stood at 3,017 (Clemson, 9/10/10) with the all-time attendance number of 4,347 set vs. Wake Forest in the NCAA Tournament on Nov. 20, 2009. All seven contests rank in the top 13 of the program’s all-time attendance annals.
RPI REPORT
In Monday’s NCAA’s Ratings Percentage Index (RPI) report, the Gamecocks checked in at No. 13 a week after posting a program-high No. 5 in the season’s initial report. The RPI is one of the tools used by the selection committee to determine the 64-team field for the NCAA Tournament, ranking teams based on wins and losses as well as strength of schedule.
LOOKING FOR OFFENSE
Since Stevi Parker scored the game-winner in the 100th minute at Auburn on Sun., Sept. 21, the Gamecocks have not scored. Last weekend, South Carolina was shutout, 0-1, by both Missouri and No. 22 Georgia at home for the program’s first back-to-back SEC losses since 2012. The Gamecocks outshot their opponents in both matches, out-firing Missouri 10-5 and Georgia 15-6, but could not find the back of the net. South Carolina outscored its opponents 15-1 in the non-conference slate. The Gamecocks have been shutout in all three of their losses, posting 0-1 results to Clemson, Missouri and No. 22 Georgia.
UP NEXT FOR THE GAMECOCKS
The Gamecocks travel to Kentucky on Fri., Oct. 10 at 7:30 p.m. South Carolina returns to Columbia for a match vs. No. 6 Florida on Thurs., Oct. 16, at 7 p.m. The SEC Network is set to broadcast the match nationally.
