Gamecocks travel to 7-seeded Wake Forest for NCAA Tournament

COLUMBIA, SC – South Carolina women’s soccer (10-4-5) travels to No. 7 seed Wake Forest (10-4-4) for the first round of the NCAA Women’s Soccer Tournament AT 6 p.m. on Friday, November 14. The tournament appearance will be the Gamecocks’ 13th in a row, and 18th in program history. The game will be streamed live on ESPN+. 

LAST TIME OUT

The Gamecocks fell 2-0 to Alabama in the first round of the SEC Tournament (Nov. 2). South Carolina took six shots on goal, but couldn’t find the back of the net. The Crimson Tide broke the ice in the 75th minute and increased their lead in the 88th. Goalkeeper Tina Tsaousis had three saves, and defender Micah Bryant led the offensive efforts with two shots on goal. 

Entering the last stretch of the season, Katie Shea Collins leads the team with 10 goals and four assists. Mackenzie Johnson follows her with six goals and three assists of her own. Six of Collins’ goals have been game winners, which is tied for fourth in the country. 

The Gamecocks rank third in the SEC for shutouts (10), and Tsaousis ranks third with her save percentage (.764), and third in shutouts (7).

SCOUTING THE DEMON DEACONS

Friday’s game with Wake Forest will be the ninth in program history. The two teams last met in 2022 in the first round of the NCAA Tournament, when the Gamecocks won 2-0 in Columbia (Nov. 12). Then-freshmen Gracie Falla and Micah Bryant both contributed to South Carolina’s win. The Demon Deacons lead the all-time series 4-3-1, but South Carolina has taken the last two meetings. 

Freshmen Kylie Maxwell and Allie Flanagan lead the team with five goals apiece, and Sierra Sythe has a team-high nine assists. Goalkeeper Valentina Amaral has a 1.06 GAA and 69 saves on the year. 

NCAA TOURNAMENT HISTORY

South Carolina has a 25-17-3 overall record in the Tournament, with its first appearance in the Shelley Smith era coming in 2007. The Gamecocks have made it to at least the second round for the past nine straight seasons, and reached the College Cup for the first time in program history in 2017. 

FAN INFO

Fans can follow along with in-game updates on X, @GamecockWSoccer.