Oct. 15, 2014
COLUMBIA, S.C. – South Carolina (9-4-1, 2-3-1 SEC) returns to Columbia this week for a pair of pivotal home conference matches against No. 5 Florida (11-2-0, 6-0-0 SEC) Thursday at 7 p.m. on the SEC Network and Ole Miss (7-3-4, 2-1-3 SEC) on Sunday at 1 p.m. Thursday’s match is the Gamecocks’ first home SEC Network broadcast.
WEEKEND INFORMATION
Date/Opponent: Thurs., Oct. 16 vs. No. 5 Florida
Kickoff: 7 p.m. ET
Stadium: Stone Stadium
Tickets
Broadcast: SEC Network | SEC Network Channel Finder
SEC Network+ Live Stream
Promotions: Cocky’s 34th Birthday Party – come celebrate Cocky’s birthday with cake and singing, tag @Cocky2001 in a video to wish him a Happy Birthday!; Junior Gamecock Club Night – show your membership card to receive FREE admission; FREE women’s soccer schedule rally towels to the first 500 fans.
Date/Opponent: Sun., Oct. 19 vs. Ole Miss
Kickoff: 1 p.m. ET
Stadium: Stone Stadium
Tickets
SEC Network+ Live Stream
Promotions: Futbol y Football – bring your Furman football ticket to receive free admission; Send your best trick shot to @GamecockWSoccer on Instagram – The top two trick shots will win a prize.
SCOUTING FLORIDA
Florida, the defending co-SEC champion and 2014 preseason favorite, has rolled through conference play a perfect 6-0-0 and has put together an 11-2-0 overall record. Florida has been shutout just once this season, a 0-1-overtime loss at No. 4 Stanford, and has not lost since. Both of the Gator’s losses have been on the road after also dropping an early season match at Oklahoma, 1-2. Florida is outscoring its opponents 32-9 this season. The 32 goals is second in the SEC this season behind Texas A&M (37), while their 9 goals allowed ranks second in the league behind the Gamecocks. Savannah Jordan is a major part of that, leading the Gators with 25 points on 11 goals, including four game-winners, and three assists. Tessa Andujar is the team’s leading distributor, doling out nine assists to lead the conference. Fourteen Gators have scored at least one point this season.
With Taylor Burke taking on the bulk of the goalkeeping duties, the Gators are allowing just .69 goals a game. In front of Burke, Florida returns its entire backline from 2013 when they put together one of the best defensive seasons in program history.
Three Gators – Jordan, defender Christen Westphal and midfielder Havana Solaun – are on the Preseason MAC Hermann Watch List. Add South Carolina goalkeeper Sabrina D’Angelo, and there will be four Preseason MAC Hermann Watch List members on the field Thursday night.
SCOUTING OLE MISS
Ole Miss (7-3-4, 2-1-3 SEC) has posted a 7-3-4 overall record this season with a 2-1-3 SEC record. Addie Forbus has scored 15 points on six goals and three assists to lead the Rebels. Earlier this season Forbus posted a hat trick and tallied eight points in a 5-1 win over University of Louisiana-Lafayette. Olivia Harris has also netted a team-leading six goals. Kelly McCormick has played every minute in het for the Rebels, allowing 15 goals in 14 contests and posting five shutouts.
Sunday’s match is the last of four-straight road contests. After having last weekend off, the Rebels play at Kentucky on Friday before making the trip to Columbia.
LAST MEETINGS
Last October, the Gamecocks became the first team to defeat Florida in back-to-back meetings at James G. Pressly Stadium, posting a 2-1 double-overtime win. Taylor Leach scored the game-winner in the 109th minute on a corner kick service from Chelsea Drennan. Earlier in the match, Bay Daniel netted the game’s first tally in the 38th minute. Florida’s Savannah Jordan equalized just before the half. South Carolina has defeated Florida just once at home, a 1-0 over time in in 2002 for their first win in the series.
The Gamecocks and Ole Miss tied 1-1 in Mississippi in 2013. Chelsea Drennan put the South Carolina on the board early, scoring an unassisted goal in the sixth minute. Late in the match, Olivia Harrison leveled the match with an assist from Jennifer Miller.
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 allowed a goal in each of its first four SEC matches, before posting its first league shutout against LSU (1-0) on Oct. 5. The Gamecocks boast a 0.410 goals against average (5th nationally) and is one of just 10 schools in the country to allow six goals or less this season. South Carolina is one of seven teams in the nation to allow six goals or fewer this year. The Gamecocks have not allowed more than one goal in a match this season and have earned eight shutouts in their 14 matches this season. No other SEC team has allowed less than nine goals.
ATTRACTING A CROWD
In eight home matches this season, the Gamecocks lead the nation in average attendance with 3,270. South Carolina is the only team in the nation to average over 3,000 fans per contest and has played in front of at least 1,700 fans at each match at The Graveyard. A total of 26,158 have come 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 eight 2014 contests rank in the top 13 of the program’s all-time attendance annals.
1-0 WOES
All four of the Gamecocks’ losses – vs. Clemson, vs. Missouri, vs. Georgia, at Kentucky – have been 1-0 decisions, despite the fact that South Carolina has outshot its opponents 44-32 in the contests. The matches are the only four times this season that the Gamecocks have been scored upon first. South Carolina has come from behind just once this season, a 2-1 double-overtime victory at Auburn in the SEC opener. The win over the Tigers is the only time South Carolina has won when allowing a goal this season.
RPI REPORT
In Monday’s NCAA’s Ratings Percentage Index (RPI) report, the Gamecocks checked in at No. 16. The Gamecocks were 13th for two weeks in a row 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. This week’s opponents are both ranked in the top 50, with Florida at No. 3 and Ole Miss at No. 43.
UP NEXT FOR THE GAMECOCKS
South Carolina takes its final regular-season road trip, traveling to Vanderbilt on Friday at 7 p.m. and No. 8 Texas A&M on Sunday at 5 p.m. ET. The SEC Network+ will provide coverage for both matches.
