Gamecocks host Furman at Stone Stadium Friday
The South Carolina women’s soccer team will begin its march to the College Cup when the Gamecocks host Furman Friday night at 7 p.m. in the first round of the NCAA Tournament.
South Carolina (16-3-2) is “dancing” into the NCAA Tournament for the sixth time in seven years. Friday night’s game marks the third time since 2009 that Stone Stadium, where South Carolina is a perfect 10-0-0 this season, will be hosting an NCAA Tournament game.
“It’s really nice to be able to play at Stone Stadium, especially as a senior,” senior midfielder Elizabeth Sinclair said. “It’s very fun to do that again, and we have great fans and we’ve had a lot of support this whole season.”
Crowd noise is considered to be a factor when the Gamecocks’ in-state opponent comes to town. Furman enters the match with a 17-3-2 mark after claiming an automatic bid to the NCAAs by winning the Southern Conference Tournament. The Paladins also claimed the Southern Conference regular season title with an 8-1-1 conference record.
The biggest weapon for Furman will be forward Stephanie DeVita. The 5-7 sophomore from Simpsonville, S.C. has netted 15 goals during the 2013 campaign — seven of which were game winners — as well as nine assists. DeVita fired off 121 shots throughout the season, more than twice the amount of any Gamecock. In 2012, DeVita led all freshmen in scoring with 19 goals, and good enough to earn her SoCon Player of the Year and Freshman of the Year honors.
Still, redshirt junior Taylor Leach said South Carolina is focusing more on what they do well rather than what the opponent does well. If the Gamecocks are able to dictate play, Leach said they’ll be a very confident team on the field.
“The biggest thing we probably have to do is to play our game,” Leach said. “If we do that, keep the ball and communicate and work hard on defense, we’ll be fine.”
Allowing well under one goal per-game this season,South Carolina’s defense will face a challenge in a Furman offense that is averaging 2.5 goals each contest.
Coach Shelley Smith said ball control will go a long way in determining the team’s success in Friday’s matchup. Smith has harped on her players this week to be aggressive on both sides of the ball, with an emphasis on being dangerous in the offensive third.
“You can’t stop until the ball is out of bounds or in the keeper’s hands. When you’re in the defensive end you can’t stop running across the box when the balls are served,” Smith said. “You have to do the little things and give your all-out effort.”
When the entire 64-team bracket is revealed, it is natural to look ahead at potential matchups down the road. A trip to the West Coast is likely if the Gamecocks win on Friday. However, Smith hopes her team can stay focused on the task at hand.
“Friday’s all that matters right now,” Smith said. “And then you do your job, then you get the chance to actually have to worry about the next weekend.”