Samantha Chang Earns Numerous National Honors
COLUMBIA, S.C. – South Carolina women’s soccer sophomore Samantha Chang was named the United Soccer Coaches and TopDrawerSoccer.com National Player of the Week along with being named to the College Soccer News’ Team of the Week, the publications all announced Tuesday. Chang has collected four honors this week after her performance in the Gamecocks 2-1 win against No. 3 Arkansas.
“Sam’s goal was not only an important game winner on the day, but a great effort and excellent execution by her and her teammates,” South Carolina head coach Shelley Smith said. “A really nice play from Sam, and a great example of the hard work she puts in every time she steps on the field. Happy that she is being recognized this week for those efforts.”
Chang netted the gamewinner for the No. 15 Gamecocks against No. 3 Arkansas, helping Carolina earn its second highest ranked win in program history (No. 1 North Carolina in 2007). The Mississauga, Ontario, native, scored the game-winning goal in the 71st minute for the Gamecocks in the 2-1 win, playing 66 minutes in the midfield.
Chang’s goal against Arkansas came in the second half after Arkansas was able to tie the match up. The win propelled the Gamecocks into first place in the SEC overall standings with 12 points through five matches of the 2020 SEC regular season. The National Player of the Week honor from the United Soccer Coaches is the first time a Gamecocks has earned the distinction since Mikayla Krzeczowski in 2018 while it is the first time a Carolina player has been named the TopDrawerSoccer.com National Player of the Week since Grace Fisk in 2019.
The national honors come after Chang earned the SEC Offensive Player of the Week honor on Monday. That weekly conference honor marked the third-straight week the Gamecocks were honored by the SEC, and the second-straight week a Carolina player won the Offensive Player of the Week award.
South Carolina (4-1-0, 4-1-0 SEC) plays Florida (1-2-1, 1-2-1 SEC) at Stone Stadium on Oct. 25. The match can be seen on SEC Network at 2 p.m. The Gamecocks and Gators ended in a 1-1 draw in 2019 in Gainesville.
For more information on the Gamecocks, continue to check back with GamecocksOnline.com. 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 2020 season.
The South Carolina Athletics Department announced ticketing information for the approximately 675 seats available for the four 2020 fall home matches. Only fans who had purchased season tickets for the upcoming season will have the ability to purchase single-game tickets. Season tickets, including the tickets with scarf option, for the 2020 season will not be honored and will be refunded.
A fixed amount of student tickets will be available for each match. Students will receive additional information on instructions for receiving tickets to home matches from the Department of Student Life. If you have any questions about ticketing for soccer this fall, please reach out to the Gamecock Ticket Office at 803-777-4274.
