Gamecocks Headed to Coastal Carolina for Exhibition
#15 Women’s Soccer at Coastal Carolina
COLUMBIA, S.C. – No. 15 South Carolina women’s soccer takes on Coastal Carolina on Thur., Aug. 15, at 7 p.m. in an exhibition contest on the road to begin the 2019 season.
CAROLINA IN THE PRESEASON
Announced on August 13, the Gamecocks were picked second in the SEC preseason poll. The second-place selection is the Gamecocks’ highest preseason projection since divisions were eliminated after the 2013 season.
The Gamecocks sit just behind preseason favorite Texas A&M and are in front of 2018 regular-season champion Vanderbilt, which ranks third, followed by Tennessee and Florida to round out the preseason top five.
In the first national preseason poll, the Gamecocks sat at No. 15 in the United Soccer Coaches poll. The No. 15 ranking is the third-straight season where Carolina has started the season in the top 15.
“We’re really excited to get this season started. We know the SEC is a tough conference top to bottom, and we will be challenged all season long,” head coach Shelley Smith said. “We are thankful for the respect, but now we want to make sure we go out and earn that respect and ranking throughout the season.”
QUICK 2018 GAMECOCK RECAP
In 2018, the Gamecocks reached the NCAA Second Round as a No. 3 seed, falling to the No. 2 seed, Penn State. The Gamecocks finished in a tie for third in the SEC regular season and appeared in the SEC Tournament semifinals.
Carolina finished with a home record of 11-1-0 during the season, extending its impressive home record to 44-4-1 in the past 49 matches. The Gamecocks defeated three ranked teams, and six NCAA Tournament teams, highlighted by a 2-0 win over No. 11 Tennessee on the road.
Lauren Chang was the leading scorer, scoring eight goals during the season, which included three game-winning goals against rival Clemson, No. 11 Tennessee and in the NCAA Tournament against UNCG. Grace Fisk once again was honored as the SEC Defensive Player of the Year, becoming the first Gamecock to earn the award in consecutive seasons.
SCOUTING COASTAL CAROLINA
Last season the Chanticleers finished with an overall record of 8-8-1 but found a way to finish in third place in the Sun Belt regular season standings with a 7-3-0 record. Coastal Carolina’s season came to an end in the first round of the Sun Belt conference tournament, falling to the No. 6 seed, Georgia State, 3-2 in overtime. The Chanticleers return their leading scorer, now a senior, Hannah Miller, who scored five goals in 2018. Miller is joined by Sunny Sigurvinsdottir and Baylee Price as fellow multiple goal scorers that return in 2019.
WHO’S BACK
The Gamecocks return nine starters from its final match of the 2018 season. Last season, the Gamecock fielded one of the youngest teams in the country with 26 underclassmen. This season Carolina will have a total of 16 underclassmen, along with five seniors and nine juniors. Carolina will be led by its five seniors who all have started at least 20 matches in their career.
UP NEXT
The Gamecocks will open up the regular season against No. 21 NC State on August 22 at 7 p.m. Carolina looks to avenge its 2-1 loss to the Wolfpack in 2018. Gamecocks’ midfielder Claire Griffiths will also have a second shot at taking on her sister, Paige, who is also a midfielder for NC State. Last season, Paige Griffiths and the Wolfpack won 2-1, but Claire Griffiths was able to score a goal for the Gamecocks in the defeat.
QUICK NOTES
– South Carolina owns a 9-2-2 record all-time in exhibition contests
– Mikayla Krzeczowski’s 34 career shutouts ranks her No. 1 in active career shutouts in the NCAA (Division I)
– Krzeczowski also enters with the most shutouts in South Carolina history and SEC history
– Last season, the Gamecocks shutout percentage was ranked 15th in the NCAA out of 325 teams, and first in the SEC at 57.1 percent
– Thursday’s exhibition marks the first match that England natives Grace Fisk and Anna Patten will be paired together in a Gamecock uniform
– On Aug. 1, captain Grace Fisk was named to the MAC Hermann Trophy watch list, an award given to the top women’s soccer player in NCAA Division I
