South Carolina calls on Neary, Leach to step up for injured Sinclair
After losing to Texas A&M and tying Arkansas on the road last weekend, the women’s soccer team will travel to Auburn on Friday and Vanderbilt on Sunday looking for its first SEC win of the season.
Last weekend was full of frustrations for the Gamecocks, as a red card in the 41st minute of the game against the Aggies left them down a player in the second half and two goals against the Razorbacks were negated. But in spite of those challenges, coach Shelley Smith said she’s confident that USC can beat any opponent.
“We’re not afraid to play anybody on our schedule,” Smith said. “I think it’s just making sure we put some things together on the offensive third, putting the ball in the back of the net to win games. We’ve defended everyone quite well and given ourselves chances.
“We’ve been battling, and the challenges are there. But we’re capable of beating anybody any day. We just have to make sure we put it together.”
The Gamecocks will play this weekend without junior midfielder Elizabeth Sinclair, who is still recovering from an injury in the Missouri game two weeks ago. Sophomore midfielder Samantha Gonzalez started in her place, and USC will rely on her, along with sophomores Christa Neary and Taylor Leach, to step up in Sinclair’s absence.
A major point of emphasis in practice this week has been finishing scoring opportunities, after the Gamecocks took 16 shots but tallied just one goal against Arkansas. USC has scored 10 goals in 10 games this season and has been shut out in three of its last four.
Smith said the team has not been discouraged by its struggle to put points on the board.
“They know they can beat teams, and they haven’t lost their confidence at all,” Smith said. “They know they’ve played well for the majority of time during games and haven’t been rewarded. They’re realizing they are still a good team. They’re in every match; they just have to have the continued desire to see it through.”
Freshman forward Coryn Bajema leads South Carolina with three goals on the season, but she has not scored since USC’s 3-0 win over Jacksonville in August. Smith said Bajema has found other ways to contribute to the Gamecock offense.
“[Bajema] has been solid putting us in a dangerous position as far as serving balls, beating players on the flank and being a threat,” Smith said. “She’s figuring out that it’s another level of play when you get to SEC play. Her goals will come. She just needs to compete and work hard, and she’s been getting better every game.”
Auburn enters Friday’s matchup with a 5-6 record, most recently losing 2-0 to the Aggies. Its only conference win came last Friday against LSU. The Gamecocks have not lost to Auburn since 2008.
Vanderbilt took its first SEC loss against Missouri last weekend, dropping its record on the season to 4-4-3.
As the Gamecocks look for an offensive spark, Smith said they are not feeling pressure to come through with their first win.
“It’s more the desire (to win) than it is pressure,” Smith said. “We want to win. It’s something you work toward ... We’re focusing on each game, day by day. You just try to do your best and reach your goal of winning every game you can. It’s not something you’re dreading. It’s more that every day you’re going to get better. Every game, you learn from the last.”