Women’s soccer takes on Stanford in NCAA tournament
The South Carolina women’s soccer team will look to continue its dream season Thursday when the Gamecocks travel to Los Angeles to take on the Stanford Cardinal. The match is a second-round tie in the NCAA Tournament.
In order to secure the date with Stanford, No. 14 South Carolina took a convincing victory over Furman in Columbia on Friday, with a score of 5-0.
The last time the Gamecocks squared off with the Cardinal was in the 2011 NCAA Tournament, when South Carolina fell 2-0 to the eventual national champions.
Junior defender and midfielder Andie Romness was a part of that team, and she thinks the 2013 squad will be better prepared.
“We’re excited to go out there and play them again, because last time we played them, we lost 2-0 and didn’t really play that well as we could have,” Romness said. “This year, we want to go out and show them that we’re not the same team we were two years ago. We’re not the type of team that’s going to play the ball over the top and let one player be the star, because everyone on our team contributes in different ways.”
Coach Shelley Smith said she believes her team will be up for the challenge of traveling out west.
“I think we match up well, with what I do know about them,” Smith said. “They’re a very good possession team with some quality players. We faced the No. 1 team in the country a couple years ago, but that’s not the same team that we’re facing. We’re the higher-seeded team this time. We’re excited about playing them.”
The Gamecocks may have the higher seed entering the tournament, but Romness said she knows Stanford is still a quality opponent.
South Carolina is seeded third in its region of the bracket, with North Carolina at No. 1, UCLA at No. 2 and Texas A&M at No. 4. Teams that aren’t in the top four, including Stanford, do not receive a seed in the bracket.
“They’re still a phenomenal team. Even though they’ve dropped a couple games this year that they maybe shouldn’t have, they’re still a great team, it’s just a more even playing field this year,” Romness said. “When we played them that first time, they were the No. 1 seed, and this time we’re the No. 3 seed and they’re not even ranked, but that’s not to say that they’re not a great team.”
Because it’s been two years since the teams last faced, Smith said South Carolina isn’t very familiar with this Stanford team, but that she and her staff have taken the appropriate measures to prepare for the match.
“We’ve looked at some video and have talked to some opponents that have played them and know them a bit better — not anyone in their conference, but teams that faced them in the regular season. We’ll gather as much information as we can and be prepared,” Smith said. “Just like them, it’s a new team; they haven’t faced us, and we’re not the same team we were two years ago either. I think it’s a great challenge, and it will be a very good match.”