DURHAM, NC – South Carolina women’s soccer (15-4-5) ended its NCAA Tournament run Sunday night, falling to second-seeded Duke (15-4-3) 2-1.
Breaking Down the Action
- The Blue Devils gave themselves the first opportunity in the game, putting up a shot in the second minute of play but senior keeper Heather Hinz nabbed an incredible save to keep Duke at bay
- A little under 10 minutes later, Duke was able to capitalize on a scramble in front of the net, and Michelle Cooper knocked it in the far-right side with assists from Kat Rader and Delaney Graham
- The Gamecocks set themselves up for a corner kick in the 16th minute, and junior Catherine Barry attempted a shot from inside the box but was met by a block from the Blue Devils
- Duke put up 10 shots in the first half, with South Carolina tallying one
- Both teams put up the effort in the last 45, and redshirt senior Samantha Chang gave the Gamecocks two chances but couldn’t connect
- In the 88th minute, sophomore Payton Patrick denied Duke their clean sheet, putting in a goal with an assist from Riane Coman to bring things within one
- The Gamecocks would get close to tying things in the last minute, but remained at a 2-1 disadvantage to end the game
- Hinz recorded an impressive eight saves on the night, tying her season high
Recapping the Season
- The Gamecocks had an incredible year, tallying their 18th winning season under head coach Shelley Smith, with the year being the 10th consecutive with 12+ wins
- South Carolina’s appearance in the NCAA Tournament was its 10th straight, and the seventh season having advanced to the Sweet 16
- On Nov. 6, the Gamecocks captured their third SEC Tournament Title with a 1-0 win over Alabama, also capturing the SEC East championship
- The team tallied 14 shutouts on the year, and outscored its opponents 38-14
- Record breakers:
- Junior Catherine Barry moved to the No. 5 spot in the USC record books for career goals at 24
- Barry additionally ended the regular season at the No. 1 spot for total shots in the SEC (74)
- 5th year senior Jyllissa Harris cemented her name in the NCAA Women’s Soccer books, creating the new No. 1 all-time career minutes record at 9,395 minutes
- Harris also moved to No. 1 in the Gamecocks’ records for career starts and games played at 105 and 107, respectively