Aug. 17, 2017
2016 Rewind
South Carolina featured the most prolific offense in program history last fall, setting school records for goals (51), assists (50) and points (152). The Gamecocks scored three times or more in nine matches, including a seven-goal effort in the opening round of the 2016 NCAA Tournament against Alabama State.
Striker Savannah McCaskill, one of three Carolina players to total at least 20 points in 2016, paced the attack with an SEC-leading 17 goals. Her 45 points also led the conference and ranked third among NCAA Division I players.
Recent Carolina graduate Sophie Groff netted a career-best nine goals last year after starting all 24 matches, and her four game-winners ranked sixth in the SEC. Fellow senior Daija Griffin added nine points on three goals and three assists, while Bay Daniel contributed two goals and an assist before suffering a season-ending injury early in the fall.
The Returnees
McCaskill, the 2016 SEC Offensive Player of the Year, headlines Carolina’s four returners in the attack. The All-American forward and contender for the 2017 MAC Hermann Trophy enters her senior season 30 points shy of the all-time program record with 89 for her career. She ranks third in school history in assists (32) and goals (25), and her 10 game-winners from last year are the most of any returning player in Division I.
Junior Simone Wark heads into her third season with the Gamecocks with career totals of five goals and 12 points. She found the back of the net twice as a sophomore and capped Carolina’s 2-1 comeback against UCF last fall after netting the game-winner in the 83rd minute.
Sophomore Elexa Bahr and senior Lauren Jankowski mark Carolina’s remaining returners up top. Bahr saw time in 22 matches as a freshman in 2016 and tallied her first career goal in the first round of the 2016 NCAA Tournament, while Jankowski appeared in eight matches last year and finished the season with two shots.
The Newcomers
Senior transfer Meaghan Carrigan and freshmen Ryan Gareis, Luciana Zullo and Dominique Moxie make up the four newcomers to Carolina’s attack. Carrigan joined the Gamecocks earlier this year after playing three seasons at Richmond. The forward was tabbed the 2014 Atlantic 10 Rookie of the Year after tallying 33 points on 14 goals and five assists, and she captained the Spiders in 2015 and 2016.
Gareis, a native of Naperville, Ill., competed for Sockers FC of the Elite Clubs national League (ECNL) and participated in the U.S. U-15 Girls’ National Team Training Camp in 2013. The Carolina addition also played for Neuqua Valley High School, where she led the team in goals as a freshman.
Zullo played club soccer at Players Development Academy (PDA) of the ECNL, leading PDA to the New Jersey State Title each year from 2009-2012. She earned First-Team All-State honors while at Hunterdon Central Regional High School and was tabbed the New Jersey Girls Soccer Player of the Year as a senior.
Moxie brings international experience to the Gamecocks after competing for the Jamaica U-17 Team at the 2016 CONCACAF Championships in Grenada. She also played for GSA 99′ of the ECNL, guiding the squad to the national playoffs two years in a row.
Coach Shelley Smith’s Take
“We are excited about the attacking dynamics of this group. Savannah is a huge part of our attack, and we are looking forward to her senior leadership on the field. Her vision, speed and overall skill set are fantastic and will create problems for opponents. With the attention she draws, we will have players around her taking advantage of the space created. We have several players through the preseason who have shown the ability to find the back of the net, and it should be exciting to watch this unit with with the potential it possesses.”
