Dec. 6, 2016
COLUMBIA, S.C. – South Carolina women’s soccer capped off its historic season with a No. 5 ranking in the final NSCAA Top 25 Poll of 2016. The Gamecocks’ spot marks the best finish in the coaches’ poll in school history.
Carolina, which spent the last eight weeks listed in the top five, boasted the program’s top ranking (No. 2) for a month during the regular season. This year marks the third time the Gamecocks ended the fall in the NSCAA top 10 and the sixth time they concluded the year ranked. The SEC boasted four schools in Tuesday’s final poll, with No. 8 Auburn, No. 10 Florida and No. 19 Arkansas joining Carolina.
The Gamecocks, who also finished the year No. 5 in TopDrawerSoccer.com’s poll, set numerous program records in 2016, tallying the most wins (21) and victories over ranked opponents (5) in one year. Carolina was the only school to finish the regular season unbeaten (17-0-1) following its school-record 17-straight wins, and the team captured the 2016 SEC Regular-Season Title with an 11-0-0 league mark.
With their unblemished regular-season mark, the Gamecocks earned the program’s first No. 1 NCAA Tournament seed. Carolina notched two victories over ranked foes on its way to the Elite Eight, reaching the NCAA Quarterfinals for the second time in three years.
