Neary’s first goal of season secures victory
With Sunday’s 1-0 victory over East Carolina, South Carolina women’s soccer wrapped up its non–conference season undefeated, at 7-0-1.
“It shows that we’ve played very well in the first part of the season,” coach Shelley Smith said. “We’re excited going into conference play and the position we’re at.”
Though the score doesn’t suggest it, the Gamecocks dominated Sunday’s contest throughout. South Carolina outshot the Pirates 17-1, and junior goalkeeper Sabrina D’Angelo could have taken the day off, finishing the match without a single save.
Ironically, the sole Gamecock shot that found the back of the net, a rip from the edge of 18-yard box off the foot of junior defender Christa Neary, was not even intended to be a try at the goal.
“It was a cross,” Neary said. “But if I didn’t go in, Sophie [Groff] had it. So I’m just glad it went in.”
The goal was the first of the season for Neary, who suffered a slight ankle injury in the second half, but she said the injury would not keep her out of any contests.
Scoring on only one of their 17 shots Sunday, the Gamecocks have made a habit of leaving matches with low shot conversion rates this season.
Though it has not come back to haunt them yet, Smith would like to see her team capitalize on more goal-scoring opportunities.
“Unfortunately, posts don’t count, and near misses,” Smith said. “We were close several times. So luckily we got the goal we needed to win the game, and that’s what matters.”
Another trend that Smith has noticed in South Carolina’s dominating start to the season is the close fashion in which her team has won games. Four of South Carolina’s seven wins have been decided by only one goal, and the Gamecocks have only once won by more than two goals.
“This team has learned how to win games,” Smith said. “And that’s what you need. In tight, close games we’ll face in the SEC, we’ve got to dig it out, and they’ve done that all non–conference.”
In the hotly contested games South Carolina has played so far, its defense has carried the team. Through eight matches, the Gamecocks have allowed only one goal.
“It’s a whole team effort,” Smith said. “It’s not just the back four in front of Sabrina; it’s everyone. We ask everyone to play their part and play good defense when we don’t have the ball.”
Looking ahead to the conference season, South Carolina will be poised to make a run at the Southeastern Conference title. At No. 17, the Gamecocks are the second-highest ranked team in the conference, behind No. 8 Florida.
South Carolina has a date with the Gators in Gainesville, Fla., on Oct. 4 that could go a long way in deciding who takes home the hardware in the SEC.
Before then, the Gamecocks will kick off conference play with Georgia when they travel to Athens, Ga., Friday.
While Smith said she is happy with what her team has done, bulldozing through its non–conference schedule unscathed, she has cautioned her players that the competition will be much fiercer when the games start to count towards their conference record.
“The team is very proud of what they’ve done and accomplished so far,” Smith said. “But they know they have a long way to go. The SEC is a whole other season, and we know that. So we’ll build off the confidence they gained early on in the season.”