Aug. 11, 2016

2015 Rewind
Caroline Kelly and Abbey Crider both saw time in net last season for a South Carolina team that boasted six shutouts and finished with a 1.05 goals against average. Kelly earned 12 starts and played in 15 matches, finishing the fall with a team-high 34 saves. The Alexandria, Va., native notched shutouts against Missouri (Sept. 20) and Tennessee (Oct. 29) and tallied a season-high eight saves in the SEC Quarterfinals against Auburn (Nov. 5). Kelly ended her year with an overall record of 6-4-3.

Crider drew eight starts and ranked second in the SEC in goals against average (0.80). She posted a record of 6-1 and totaled a team-best three shutouts, earning clean sheets against Colgate (Sept. 4), Alabama (Sept. 27) and Auburn (Oct. 8). Crider tallied 13 saves in 675 minutes of action.

The Returnees
South Carolina will welcome a new goalkeeper this fall following the departures of Kelly and Crider.

The Newcomers
Freshman Mikayla Krzeczowski and redshirt freshman Hunter Peifer both enter the fall with collegiate training experience, as the two were in action during South Carolina’s spring practices. Peifer sat out her freshman campaign last season due to injury, while Krzeczowski arrived at South Carolina a semester early.

Krzeczowski, a native of Douglasville, Ga., competed in the U.S. National Team Player Pool from 2011-14 and played on her Olympic Development Program (ODP) state and regional teams from 2011-13. At the club soccer level, Krzeczowski served as the team captain for the Concorde Fire of the Elite Club National League (ECNL), leading her squad to the conference title three times.

Peifer comes to South Carolina following a successful high school career at Cheyenne Mountain HS. As a sophomore, the Colorado Springs, Colo., native earned Second Team All-State and All-League honors before being named to the Colorado All-Star Team one year later following her junior campaign. She captained the team in her final season and finished her high school career with a 0.40 goals against average and just 17 goals allowed. Peifer, a participant at the 2014 U-20 Women’s National Camp, also boasts experience with the club team CO Pride Predators ’97. She served as a team captain for the Predators, guiding them to the 2012, 2014 and 2015 Colorado State Club Championship.

Coach Shelley Smith’s Take
“We welcome two outstanding candidates to fill the goalkeeper position this season. They both bring in U.S. National Team camp experience as youth players, and they’ve both had excellent careers with the respective club teams. Both are confident with their feet and command their 18-yard box well. They will help us start our attack from the back and do a great job making it hard for teams to find the net.”