Gamecocks to Host UNCG in NCAA Tournament
Women's soccer to host postseason action for sixth time in the last seven seasons.
COLUMBIA, S.C. – No. 17 South Carolina women’s soccer (13-5-1, 6-3-1 SEC) earned its sixth-straight NCAA Tournament bid when the 64-team field was announced Monday afternoon. The Gamecocks, who drew a No. 3 seed, will host UNC Greensboro in the tournament’s opening round this Fri., Nov. 6, at 6:00 p.m. ET. Any broadcast schedule has yet to be determined.
“We’re obviously very excited about being in the NCAA Tournament again,” South Carolina head coach Shelley Smith said. “It is quite an accomplishment and we do not take it for granted. The fact that we are home again is a testament to what this team has done this year, they have earned that right. We’re really excited to be able to play at Stone Stadium again.”
Tickets for the first-round match, which go on sale Tue., Nov. 6, at 10:00 a.m. ET, are $8 for adults and $5 for students and children (17 and under). Fans can call the ticket office at 803-777-4274 or order and print tickets online. Tickets will also be available on the day of the game at the gate, where only cash will be accepted.
This season will mark the 12th appearance in the NCAA Tournament for the Gamecocks, who have reached the event in 11 of the last 12 years. The sixth-straight bid is the longest streak in program-history. Carolina has hosted a first-round match in six of the last seven years, advancing out of those games five times.
UNC Greensboro earned its spot in the NCAA Tournament after winning the 2018 Southern Conference Tournament with a 2-1 win over fifth-seed Furman. It was the program’s ninth SoCon tournament title and marked the third time UNCG won the event in back-to-back seasons. The Spartans are 15-4-1 on the season, including a 6-1-1 record on the road.
The winner of this first-round match will face the winner of the Penn State-Bowling Green match. The other half of the Gamecocks section of the bracket features No. 2-seed West Virginia against Radford and Wake Forest against Ohio State.
The Gamecocks are one of nine SEC schools to qualify for the 2018 NCAA Women’s Soccer Tournament. Second-seeded Tennessee and No. 3 seed Texas A&M also received a national seed, while Auburn, Arkansas, LSU, Mississippi State, Ole Miss and Vanderbilt round out the list of league members to advance to NCAA postseason play.
The complete 64-team bracket can be found on NCAA.com, and South Carolina fans can check back on GamecocksOnline.com later this week for a preview of the contest.
