Gamecock Soccer Set to Face Stanford in Second Round
COLUMBIA, S.C. – The No. 16 South Carolina women’s soccer team (12-2-6) heads to Palo Alto, Calif. for a Friday night matchup against No. 3 Stanford (16-0-4) in the second round of the NCAA tournament. Kickoff is set for 9:00 p.m. ET on ESPN+.
NCAA Second Round: Women's Soccer at Stanford
LAST TIME OUT
The Gamecocks enter Friday night’s matchup after defeating James Madison 2-0 this past Friday, Nov. 10 at Stone Stadium. Junior midfielder Lily Render scored both goals for Carolina coming off two assists from senior forward Corinna Zullo. The duo connected on their first goal in the 24th minute and wasted little time finding the back of the net again in the 30th. Carolina had advantages in shots (19-7), shots-on-goal (11-2) and corners (4-1). Render’s two goals marked the first brace of her career and Zullo’s two assists marked her first multi-assist game since Nov. of 2022 against Ole Miss. Fifth-year goalkeeper Heather Hinz and the Gamecock back line secured their 13th shutout of the season. Hinz made a pair of saves against JMU and has allowed just five goals since Sept. 15 making 45 saves over that stretch.
SCOUTING STANFORD
Friday’s game will be the fourth meeting all-time between South Carolina and Stanford with the Cardinal holding a 3-0 advantage in the series. All three matchups have come in the NCAA tournament with the first two being second round matchups dating back to 2011 and 2013. The two teams last met in Dec. of 2017 in the Women’s College Cup Semifinals at Orlando City Stadium. Both teams have been ranked in all three matchups including a top five matchup in 2017 when the No.1 Stanford defeated No. 5 South Carolina 2-0.
Stanford enters Friday after defeating Pepperdine 3-0 Friday, Nov. 10 at Cagan Stadium. The Cardinal received goals from Jasmine Aikey, Kennedy Wesley, and Andrea Kitahata, while senior Ryan Campbell secured her eighth shutout of the season while making four saves. Stanford finished the match with a 16-8 advantage in shots and a 4-1 advantage in corner kicks.
The trio of Aikey, Wesley and Kitahata has combined for 22 goals and 19 assists on the season. The Cardinal as a team have outscored their opposition 45-9 and have outshot their opponents 384-182. Senior keeper Ryan Campbell has started 18 games this season allowing just seven goals, making 49 saves.
FAN INFO
Fans are encouraged to keep up with in-game updates on Twitter and Instagram, @GamecockWSoccer.
