On the night South Carolina honored the team’s eight seniors, senior defenders Emily Bollinger and Carly Ray combined for three goals in the opening 15 minutes. This sparked a 4-0 win over the Tennessee Volunteers. The night was particularly special for Bollinger and Gray, as neither had scored a collegiate goal coming into the game.
Bollinger had played limited minutes in her Gamecock career, but she made her way into the lineup as a starting forward against the Vols. After sophomore Savannah McCaskill’s shot was saved, Bollinger came up with the rebound and found the back of the net, putting South Carolina up 1-0 just five minutes in.
“For Emily to come in and play out of position and finish the way she did just set the tone for us,” coach Shelley Smith said.
After Bollinger got the team going, it was Ray who stole the show. The senior added a pair of goals in the ninth and 14th minutes, scoring headers from junior Chelsea Drennan's corner kicks.
“Chelsea had an awesome service, placed it to the exact same place both times, and I just literally had to nick it in with my head,” Ray said. “It was just a great ball played in.”
South Carolina was the superior team throughout, outshooting the Volunteers 21-5 (10-2 on target). The offensive pressure paid off yet again in the second half when sophomore Lindsey Lane punched in her third goal of the year on a breakaway.
Bollinger and Ray were not the only seniors to have a big night, as goalkeeper Caroline Kelly saved two shots to record her second shutout of the season. The Gamecocks were able to keep the pressure off Kelly for most of the night, and the Virginia Tech transfer improved her SEC record to 6-3-2 on the season.
This victory came on the heels of three consecutive disappointing results, coming in the form of two overtime losses and a draw.The Gamecocks dominating performance builds momentum for the team as they look to make a deep postseason run.
“The last three games didn’t really go the way we wanted at all,” McCaskill said. “We came back tonight and we wanted to make a statement.”
South Carolina earned the fifth seed for the SEC Tournament, and the team will begin play Nov. 4 when they take on the fourth-seeded Auburn Tigers.
“Our goal is to win the SEC Tournament,” McCaskill said, who leads the team with 10 goals this season. “We want to make history and go further than any team here has gone before."
McCaskill’s goal is a lofty one, as the Gamecocks advanced to the Elite Eight last season, meaning a Final Four run is the only way to meet expectations.