Women’s soccer puts its undefeated record on the line against Georgia
The No. 17 South Carolina women’s soccer team kicks off its conference schedule Friday against rival Georgia.
The Gamecocks (7-0-1), led by senior captain Elizabeth Sinclair, grinded out win after win in their eight-game non-conference lineup. South Carolina has outscored its opponents 14-1 this season, and coach Shelley Smith said she is excited to watch her defense and junior goalkeeper Sabrina D’Angelo work together and communicate well early on this year.
“Sabrina is an outstanding goalkeeper, she really is,” Smith said. “I credit everyone in front of her. We put a lot of emphasis from front to back defending. Our forwards have to defend just as much as the backs.”
Smith will need her defense to continue its stellar play and stay focused on not allowing opponents in the box for a chance at goal. It certainly helps that Smith has junior defender Christa Neary coming off the bench this year, energizing her team with her defensive abilities.
“It’s a team sport, so the fact that I’m doing well, I owe it to my team. They help me improve everyday,” Neary said, “As a whole, we’ve been playing well. I think we’ll get more recognized as a team.”
Neary, who earned SEC Defensive Player of the Week honors, embraces doing whatever it takes to help her team come out successful. She has accepted her role as the spark off the bench this season to get back to the winning way she saw in her first couple years.
“We are a positive team; we keep working hard. Hard work is our bread and butter; we just find a way to win,” Neary said, “On our locker room door, it says, ‘Win Anyway.’ That’s our team motto. I’m excited; I want to get back to the goal and win the regular season again.”
The Gamecocks have done well preparing for their Southeastern Conference games, handling tough matches and proving they can win on the road. South Carolina’s battle-tested sophomores and juniors are ready for a big year, and with depth and talented freshman, the Gamecocks are primed for some big SEC matchups.
“The group is just so supportive of each other. That kind of chemistry within a team is what helps you win championships,” Smith said. “We just have to keep doing what we’ve been doing, keep being dangerous in the box, getting across players, (and) we’ll find the goal. It’s just a matter of hitting your target and more often than not. Hopefully, we’ve saved some up for Georgia.”