Aug. 17, 2017
Women’s Soccer vs UCF/Florida Gulf Coast
COLUMBIA, S.C. — No. 4 South Carolina women’s soccer opens the regular season with a pair of home matches against UCF (Aug. 18) and Florida Gulf Coast (Aug. 20) this weekend. Both games will kick off at 7 p.m. ET, and Friday’s season opener against the Knights will air on SEC Network.
South Carolina soccer matches are included in the Athletics Department’s clear bag policy for all ticketed athletics events in a move designed to provide a safer environment and more expedited entry for fans. The policy will limit the size and type of bags that may be brought into South Carolina Athletics events. Information on the Clear Bag Policy and other Game Day Policies can be found online.
FROM THE COACH
“We have a lot of new faces, and we’ve been working hard to put things together. We’re ready for that first match, and we’re excited to play a different opponent and be at home. We have a lot of potential and new faces, and I think we’ll have an exciting brand of soccer. We’re excited to see how they put it all together on the field.” — Shelley Smith
SCOUTING UCF
The Knights, who were picked to finish sixth in the American Athletic Conference this fall, return seven starters and 12 letterwinners from last year’s squad that posted a 9-8-2 mark. Junior Vera Varis was tabbed the league’s Preseason Goalkeeper of the Year, while senior defender Saga Fredricksson collected Preseason All-Conference honors. UCF has qualified for the NCAA Tournament in each of its four seasons under coach Tiffany Roberts Sahaydak, advancing to the Round of 16 in 2014.
The Knights were the only team to hold a lead against South Carolina during the regular season in 2016, as they took a 1-0 lead on a penalty kick in the 56th minute. The Gamecocks evened the score 85 seconds later on a penalty kick from senior Chelsea Drennan before striker Simone Wark notched the game-winner in the 83rd minute. Carolina is 2-0-0 all-time against the Knights.
SCOUTING FLORIDA GULF COAST
Florida Gulf Coast, the favorites to win the Atlantic Sun this season, has won the league’s regular-season title in each of the last seven years. The Eagles return seven starters and 15 letterwinners, including Preseason All-ASUN Team selections Ashley Parks (Sr., D), Nikki Hudson (Sr. M) and Meaghan Mulligan (Sr., M).
FGCU lost to Florida 3-0 in the opening round of the NCAA Tournament last season in the program’s fifth appearance in the event in the last six years. Carolina earned a 2-0 road win over the Eagles in 2014 in the only meeting between the two schools.
GUESS WHO’S BACK
South Carolina returns five starters from last season in a group highlighted by All-American striker Savannah McCaskill. The senior forward and 2016 SEC Offensive Player of the Year turned in the finest season in school history last fall, setting single-season program records for goals (17) and points (45). She logged five multi-goal games and led the SEC with 10 game-winners.
Other returning starters include seniors Anna Conklin, Dominique Babbitt and Lindsey Lane and sophomore goalkeeper Mikayla Krzeczowski. Conklin, who transitioned to left back last season, started all 24 matches in 2016 and totaled a career-best four assists. Babbitt also appeared in all 24 contests, drawing starts in all but one game. The midfielder provided defensive support for a Gamecock squad that ranked sixth in NCAA Division I with a 0.41 goals against average.
Lane has played in each of Carolina’s 67 matches since 2014. She tallied the fifth-most points (7) among Gamecocks last season, and two of her career-high three assists last fall resulted in game-winners.
Krzeczowski, one of five Carolina players to earn All-SEC First Team honors in 2016, enjoyed a historic freshman season in net. She started 21 matches and posted a school-record 0.43 goals against average. Her 11 shutouts led the SEC and ranked ninth in NCAA Division I, and the Georgia native also paced the league with a 0.868 save percentage.
Sophomore defender Tatumn Milazzo marks another key returnee for the Gamecocks. The Orland Park, Ill., native was the only freshman to appear in every game last season, and she was on the field for 60 minutes or more six times.
SOUTH CAROLINA IN SEASON OPENERS
South Carolina enters 2017 with an all-time record of 13-5-4 in season openers. Five games have gone to overtime – College of Charleston (2001), Clemson (2003), UNC Wilmington (2008), Milwaukee (2012) and Oklahoma (2016). In home contests, the Gamecocks boast a perfect 8-0 record, outscoring opponents 25-3. When heading on the road to open the season, South Carolina carries a 5-4-4 mark. The Gamecocks, who are 10-2-4 in season openers under Shelley Smith, have not opened the fall with a loss since 2006.
PRESEASON SEC POLL
The SEC coaches selected South Carolina to finish third in the league with Florida and Texas A&M claiming the top two spots. The Gamecocks defeated the Aggies 1-0 on the road last season behind a late game-winner from forward Savannah McCaskill, and they topped Florida at home on an overtime penalty kick goal from Chelsea Drennan. Seven of the last eight contests between Carolina and Florida have been decided by one goal or less.
Five Gamecocks were named to the SEC Preseason Watch List — seniors Dominique Babbitt, Anna Conklin, Lindsey Lane and Savannah McCaskill along with sophomore goalkeeper Mikayla Krzeczowski. This fall marks the third-straight year that McCaskill landed on the list.
STARTING NEAR THE TOP
South Carolina claimed the No. 4 spot in the United Soccer Coaches preseason poll, earning a top-25 standing for the fifth-straight season. The ranking marks the program’s highest preseason position in the coaches’ poll. The Gamecocks, who ended last season ranked No. 5, enter the fall with a top-15 ranking for the third time in the last four years. Carolina is one of four SEC schools ranked inside the top-25, joining No. 7 Florida, No. 10 Auburn and No. 17 Arkansas.
TWO GAMECOCKS LAND ON MAC HERMANN TROPHY WATCH LIST
South Carolina soccer standouts Savannah McCaskill and Mikayla Krzeczowski were named to the 2017 Women’s MAC Hermann Trophy Watch List by the United Soccer Coaches earlier this month. McCaskill, a semifinalist for the award last season, enters this fall with the most game-winners from last year of any returning player. Krzeczowski totaled an impressive 11 clean sheets during her freshman campaign, including eight in SEC play. South Carolina is one of four schools with multiple student-athletes on the list for the annual honor that recognizes the top women’s soccer player in NCAA Division I.
REWRITING THE RECORD BOOK
The Gamecocks boasted the finest season in school history last fall, setting program records for wins (21), victories over ranked opponents (5), goals (51) and goals against average (0.41). Carolina, which ended the season with the top winning percentage (.896) in NCAA Division I, became the first school in SEC soccer history to post an unbeaten regular-season mark (17-0-1). The Gamecocks trailed for just 85 seconds during the regular season and closed the dominant stretch with a program-record 17-straight wins. The 2016 SEC Regular-Season Champions earned the program’s first No. 1 NCAA Tournament seed before reaching the Elite Eight for the second time in three years.
UP NEXT
South Carolina opens its road schedule on Thu. Aug. 24, in Winston-Salem, N.C., against Wake Forest. Kickoff between the Gamecocks and Demon Deacons at Spry Stadium is slated for 7 p.m. ET.
