Aug. 19, 2017

COLUMBIA, S.C. – South Carolina sophomore defender Grace Fisk and the England U-19 squad secured a berth in the 2018 FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup this week at the European Finals in Northern Ireland.

The Young Lionesses topped Scotland 2-0 in Thursday’s U-20 Women’s World Cup play-off match to earn a spot in next year’s tournament. Fisk, who captained England’s team throughout the European Finals, made the start in the match against the Scottish.

England ended its run at this month’s tournament with a mark of 2-2-0. The Young Lionesses opened the event with a 2-1 win over Italy on Aug. 8, before suffering a 2-0 loss to the Netherlands three days later on Aug. 11. A late game-winner lifted France over England 1-0 on Aug. 14, and placed the Young Lionesses in the fifth-place match against the Scottish.

Other 2018 U-20 Women’s World Cup participants who qualified from the European Finals include Germany, the Netherlands, Spain and France.

Fisk, who joined the Gamecocks in March after playing her freshman season at Penn State, will serve as a key addition to the Carolina back line in 2017. The Bromley, London, native started 18 matches last year and helped the Nittany Lions post nine shutouts on the season.

The No. 4 Gamecocks kicked off their 2017 campaign with a 2-0 victory over UCF last night at Stone Stadium. Sophomore striker Elexa Bahr and freshman midfielder Lauren Chang netted goals for Carolina, which held the Knights to just one attempt on frame for the match.

South Carolina returns to action tomorrow when it hosts Florida Gulf Coast. Kickoff from Stone Stadium is scheduled for 7 p.m. ET.