Gamecocks Set for Penn State in NCAA Round of 32
#18 Women’s Soccer vs #14 Penn State
COLUMBIA, S.C. – No. 18 South Carolina (14-5-1, 6-3-1 SEC) takes on Penn State (16-5-1, 9-2-0 Big Ten) on Fri., Nov. 16, at 3:00 p.m. ET in the round of 32 in the 2018 NCAA Tournament at Dick Dlesk Soccer Stadium. The meeting with Penn State is the first ever for the Gamecocks.
LAST TIME OUT – UNC GREENSBORO
No. 18 South Carolina women’s soccer (14-5-1, 6-3-1 SEC) defeated UNC Greensboro (15-5-1, 7-2-0 SoCon) 3-1 in the opening round of the 2018 NCAA Tournament at Stone Stadium on Friday night.
Lauren Chang scored the gamewinner in the second half to help the Gamecocks advance to the NCAA round of 32 for the third-straight season. The gamewinner is the third of the season for Chang and her eighth overall.
After a UNC Greensboro goal at 39:39 tied the match at one, South Carolina had to answer in the second half. At 50:01 freshman Jyllissa Harris sent a perfectly placed pass into the box where Chang found the ball with her head, sending it to the right side of the box.
“From my perspective, I saw Jyllissa (Harris) get the ball and the back line was stepping out, but they weren’t really man-marking or anything,” Chang said. “They weren’t talking or communicating, so I thought I would take advantage of that and try to get my head on it and, luckily, it was a perfect ball. I just had to stand there, basically.”
South Carolina added an insurance goal at 60:59 when Harris found the back of the net for the fourth time this season after receiving a pass from senior Simone Wark that she headed into the back of the net.
SCOUTING PENN STATE
Penn State (16-5-1, 9-2-0 Big Ten) secured its 19th Big Ten regular season title when it defeated the University of Minnesota back on Oct. 21, but then fell to the Golden Gophers in the Big Ten Tournament Championship match on penalty kicks. Penn State reached the round of 32 in the NCAA tournament by defeating Bowling Green in State College, Pa., 4-1. Four different Nittnay Lions scored during the victory, including Charlotte Williams who had a goal and an assist in 73 minutes of action.
Three different Nittany Lions scored a team high seven goals during the 2018 season. Kerry Abello did so in just 20 matches unlike Frnkie Tagliaferri and Kristen Schnurr who played in all 22. Abello has scored those seven goals on just 31 shots and has a pair of gamewinners.
Emily Ogle was tabbed as the Midfielder of the Year by the Big Ten while Kaleigh Riehl garnered Defender of the Year honors. Ogle, a redshirt senior, has started every match during the 2018 regular season, and has 15 points on five goals and five assists. Heading into the Michigan match this weekend, Ogle has played in 93 career matches, which leads active NCAA DI women’s soccer student-athletes. Riehl, a redshirt junior, has helped anchor a tough Nittany Lion defense that recorded nine shutouts in the regular season.
SOUTH CAROLINA IN THE NCAA TOURNAMENT
South Carolina made its NCAA Tournament debut on Nov. 11, 1998, against Charlotte. This season marks the 12th time the Gamecocks have appeared in the tournament, holding a record of 14-10-3 and a record of 6-7-1 against ranked opponents.
The Gamecocks hold a record of 1-5-0 on the road in the NCAA Tournament, with that lone win coming in 2014 when South Carolina traveled to No. 6 North Carolina and defeated the Tar Heels 1-0.
South Carolina has gone to penalty kicks a total of three times in the NCAA Tournament and has advanced in two of those three matches. The last time the Gamecocks went to penalty kicks in the NCAA Tournament was on Nov. 21, 2014, against Seattle, which they won 2-1.
SEEDED ONCE MORE
Entering the 2018 NCAA Tournament as a No. 3 seed, South Carolina is one of three SEC squads to earn a national seed. The seed for South Carolina is its third in as many seasons, including No. 1 seeds each of the past two seasons. Seven of the nine SEC squads that made the 2018 NCAA Tournament advanced out of the first round.
SEC TOURNAMENT HONORS
Both Rebecca Koch and Simone Wark were named to the SEC All-Tournament team for their performances in the Gamecocks’ two matches at the event. Wark aided in both of the goals scored by South Carolina during the tournament. She drew a foul in the match against Texas A&M that led to a Lauren Chang penalty kick goal, then assisted on the game-winning goal later in the match. Koch notched three shots during the tournament, and helped the Gamecocks control the ball throughout the tournament.
SETTING THE BAHR
Junior forward Elexa Bahr scored her third career NCAA Tournament goal in the 3-1 win over UNCG last Friday. Bahr is now tied for second in career goals scored in the NCAA Tournament at South Carolina. She also is in a tie for fourth in all-time points with seven. She has scored three goals and has one career assist.
FRESHMAN IMPACT
Freshman Jyllissa Harris registered one goal and one assist in the victory over UNCG in the opening round of the 2018 NCAA Tournament. Harris’ three points makes her one of just 11 in South Carolina women’s soccer history to score and assist on a goal in the same match in the NCAA Tournament.
RETURNERS TO THE NCAA
Of the 34 Gamecocks on the women’s soccer roster, five of them have scored a goal in the NCAA Tournament. Elexa Bahr is the only Gamecock to have multiple goals in the NCAA Tournament, scoring against Alabama State in both 2016 and 2017. Grace Fisk, Ryan Gareis, Bianca Galassini and Luciana Zullo all have scored in NCAA Tournament matches in the past. Tatumn Milazzo also notched an assist against Santa Clara in 2017.
SEC HONORS
The SEC handed out postseason awards prior to the SEC Tournament with junior captain Grace Fisk named SEC Defensive Player of the Year for the second-straight season.
Fisk, a MAC Hermann Trophy semifinalist in 2017, has served as the catalyst for the Gamecock defense this season. She aided in nine shutouts since returning to the South Carolina lineup after her time at the U20 Women’s World Cup earning a bronze medal with her native country of England. Fisk scored a gamewinner against Kentucky and added an assist in the 3-0 victory. She anchored a Gamecock back line that was clinical throughout league action. The Gamecocks did not allow more than five shots on goal in each of the last nine matches.
In total, five Gamecocks were recognized by the SEC after the regular season, including Fisk. Goalkeeper Mikayla Krzeczowski was named to the All-SEC First Team while Lauren Chang was placed on the All-SEC Second Team. Freshmen Jyllissa Harris and Selma Sol Magnusdottir each were placed on the All-SEC Freshman Team.
WE DO IT FOR THE FANS
South Carolina averaged 2,509 fans this season, the second most in the NCAA this season. The Gamecocks are one of just three teams to average over 2,000 fans in each of the past five seasons. The match earlier this season against Clemson (Aug. 23) held a total of 6,354 fans at Stone Stadium; that is the second most of any one soccer match during the 2018 season.
