Skip to main content
Partner logo
Mobile Icon Link Mobile Icon Link Mobile Icon Link
Gamecocks+
Gamecocks Win 2019 SEC Tournament Championship
Women's Soccer  . 

Gamecocks Win 2019 SEC Tournament Championship

COLUMBIA, S.C. – No. 7 South Carolina women’s soccer (16-1-3, 7-0-3 SEC) captured its second SEC Tournament championship with a 1-0 win over No. 6 Arkansas in Orange Beach, Ala. on Sunday afternoon. Junior forward Ryan Gareis netted the game-winning goal with the help of sophomore defender Sutton Jones.

“This was the end game for us,” senior goalkeeper Mikayla Krzeczowski said after the win. “We had the regular season SEC crown take away from us, and it was our own fault. We wanted to come in here and make a statement for NCAAs, and that’s exactly what this team did.”

The Gamecocks shut out every opponent they faced in the SEC Tournament, defeating Georgia 1-0, Vanderbilt 2-0 and No. 6 Arkansas 1-0 on their way to the title. The win over No. 6 Arkansas is the highest win over a ranked team since Carolina defeated No. 4 Clemson on Sept. 8, 2017 and is the highest ranked win for the Gamecocks at the SEC Tournament. 

Gareis’ goal is the fifth of her 2019 junior campaign. In the 27th minute, after a towering pass from Jones, Gareis settled under the ball after a misplay by the Arkansas defense. Gareis then squared up and fired home the goal to the right side of the goal with her left foot, putting Carolina on top in the first half.

 
The assist for Jones made her the only Gamecock in the 2019 SEC Tournament to register a goal and an assist. The goal for Gareis marked the third different game-winning goal scorer during Carolina’ championship run.

The remainder of the match the Gamecocks were bombarded with dumping passes and long distance attacks from the Razorbacks. Carolina’s defense remained stout, keeping Arkansas scoreless for the second time this season. 
 
The shutout is Krzeczowski’s 47th of her career, moving her into a tie for fifth in the NCAA women’s soccer all-time record books. Krzeczowski was only forced to make six saves in the three matches for the Gamecocks, but again and again collected dangerous crosses throughout the tournament. 

The outstanding defensive showcase the Gamecocks showed reflected in the SEC All-Tournament team. Captain defender Grace Fisk was named the tournament MVP while Fisk, Krzeczowski, Jones and Jyllissa Harris were named to the All-Tournament team. 

 
South Carolina will host a watch party for the NCAA Tournament Selection Show on Monday, Nov. 11 at the Gamecock Soccer Operations Building. The event is free and open to all fans interested in joining the team to experience the live broadcast.
 
The watch party will take place on the front lawn of the building, located at 115 Marion Street, starting at 3:45 p.m. with the live broadcast starting at 4:30 p.m. The first 50 attendees will receive free pizza.
 
The 2019 Division I women’s soccer tournament kicks off the weekend of Nov. 15-17. Second and third rounds continue the following weekend from Nov. 22-24. The four national semifinalists will be determined in the quarterfinals on Nov. 29-30.

 
Subscribe to South Carolina on Stanza to get schedule updates directly in your calendars. Keep up with Carolina women’s soccer on Twitter and Instagram (@GamecockWSoccer) and on Facebook, so you do not miss any content during the 2019 season.
 

Related stories