South Carolina women’s soccer is two years removed from its Women’s College Cup appearance in 2017 and coming off of a 14-6-1 season in 2018 after losing to Penn State in the second round of the NCAA Tournament.
A busy offseason
South Carolina added junior transfer defender Anna Patten to its roster over the offseason. Patten is an England native and was part of the 2018 Florida State Seminoles National Championship team.
"We are thrilled to welcome Anna to our program," South Carolina head coach Shelley Smith told Gamecocks Online. "She brings a wealth of experience as a player and a maturity that will immediately enhance the leadership among our team."
South Carolina freshmen Riane Coman, Eveleen Hahn and Sami Meredith competed in the Clash of the Carolinas all-star soccer game featuring the top recently graduated high school players from the Carolinas.
The three freshmen started team workouts over the summer.
"We're doing our workouts now, and we push and encourage each other," Meredith told Gamecocks Online. "I'm most excited to be playing with the team and to get into real practices with the coaches and everybody else. I know it's going to be really physical playing in the SEC. I just love the coaches and the atmosphere they've created here."
Looking ahead to the 2019 season
The Gamecocks return 29 players in 2019, including seven who scored multiple goals in 2018.
The schedule features 18 matches, nine being at Stone Stadium. Seven of those 18 opponents participated in the 2018 NCAA Tournament, while one-third of the opponents finished in the top 50 of the rating percentage index.
The Gamecocks will also play on the road against rival Clemson, marking the end of the non-conference schedule on Sept. 15. The team is looking to tie its longest winning streak against the Tigers after winning the rivalry the last three seasons.
South Carolina will begin its regular season at home against NC State on Thursday, Aug. 22 at 7 p.m.