Gamecocks Fall to Penn State in NCAA Tournament

Morgantown, W.Va. – No. 18 South Carolina women’s soccer (14-6-1, 6-3-1 SEC) was defeated by Penn State (17-5-1, 9-2-0 Big Ten) 1-0 in the round of 32 of the 2018 NCAA Tournament. 

Penn State’s goal came at 30:40 and held through the final 60 minutes to send the Nittany Lions to the NCAA third round match against either West Virginia or Wake Forest. 
 
“Obviously it is always a disappointment to end your season,” South Carolina head coach Shelley Smith said after the match. “I’m proud of this team. Penn State played extrememly well today, congratulations to them for moving on. I think they’ll do very well in this tournament. I thought our team played with a lot of heart and effort. We didn’t quite have the composure to get what we needed to win the match. We’re a young group and this will be something to learn from and build on. I told the team we have a bright future.”
 
South Carolina goalkeeper Mikayla Krzeczowski made a career-high 10 saves in the loss. She faced a total of 24 shots, with 11 on goal. 

The Gamecocks were able to register the first two shots on goal within the first 15 minutes of the match, both coming from Luciana Zullo. The sophomore finished with a team high three shots. 

As a team, South Carolina registered five shots, with Selma Sol Magnusdottir and Grace Fisk registering one shot each.  
 
South Carolina’s 14 wins in 2018 marks the third-straight season with at least that many victories. The Gamecocks round of 32 appearance is also their third-straight. 
 
The Gamecocks will graduate just one senior, Simone Wark. Wark played in a total of 60 matches for South Carolina, scoring six goals and adding six assists, including four during the 2018 campaign. 
 
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