Dec. 9, 2014
COLUMBIA, S.C. – South Carolina finished the 2014 campaign ranked No. 9 in the NSCAA/Continental Tire NCAA Division I National Poll, the National Soccer Coaches Association of America announced Tuesday. The result matches the 2009 squad’s final ranking as the highest in program history and is the second-straight top-15 finish by head coach Shelley Smith’s team. The Gamecocks have finished in the top 25 five of the last six seasons.
This season, South Carolina advanced to the Round of 16 for the second time in program history and punched a ticket to its first NCAA Quarterfinal. The Gamecocks finished their historic season with a 14-6-5 record, including a 5-3-3 mark in SEC play.
In the run to the program’s first-ever Elite Eight appearance, nationally seeded South Carolina registered three-straight shutouts in the NCAA Tournament, advancing past No. 21 Clemson and Seattle, who received votes in the final poll, on penalty kicks before taking down No. 8 North Carolina, 1-0, in the Round of 16. The Gamecocks’ NCAA run came to an end against eventual national champion Florida State in the national quarterfinal.
Three Gamecocks earned All-SEC honors for their performances this season. Senior goalkeeper Sabrina D’Angelo and senior defender Taylor Leach were named First-Team All-SEC, while Savannah McCaskill garnered Second-Team All-SEC accolades and took home SEC Freshman of the Year honors. D’Angelo and Leach earned First-Team All-Region honors from the NSCAA, and D’Angelo became the program’s first two-time First-Team NSCAA All-American last week.
The Gamecocks were joined by three other SEC programs in the top 25 – College Cup participant Texas A&M (4), Florida (7) and Kentucky (17).
NSCAA/Continental Tire NCAA Women’s Division I – Final
1. Florida State
2. Virginia
3. Stanford
4. Texas A&M
5. UCLA
6. Penn State
7. Florida
8. North Carolina
9. South Carolina
10. Pepperdine
11. Notre Dame
12. Virginia Tech
13. Wisconsin
14. Texas Tech
15. West Virginia
16. UCF
17. Kentucky
18. Washington
19. DePaul
20. California
21. Clemson
22. BYU
23. Kansas
24. Georgetown
25. Rutgers
