No. 14 Gamecocks knock off East Carolina, Samford
Balanced scoring and senior leadership were at the heart of a record-breaking season for the South Carolina women’s soccer team in 2013.
The formula appears to be the same early in 2014, as the Gamecocks swept their opening weekend with consecutive 2-0 victories.
Taylor Leach used her head — literally and figuratively — in the second half of Friday night’s contest to propel No. 14 South Carolina past East Carolina. After a slow first half that featured minimal chances, Leach scored on a header off of a free kick from senior Andie Romness.
The senior defender recorded the first multi-goal game of her career with another header off a corner kick from sophomore midfielder Chelsea Drennan.
Leach attributed the breakout performance to tireless practice on set pieces.
“It was something we emphasize at practice,” Leach said. “[Head Coach] Shelley [Smith] talked to me about timing my run perfectly so it was good to capitalize on those.”
Sunday’s home opening victory against Samford was a dominating performance in every facet of the game. The Gamecocks controlled possession from the opening kick and outshot the Bulldogs 19-1, despite being held scoreless in the first half for the second consecutive game.
Second half goals by junior forward Raina Johnson and sophomore defender Paige Bendell lifted South Carolina, but the numerous near-misses left Smith seeking a little more selfishness out of her players.
“We’ve talked to our forwards about that, and I think we did a better job of that,” Smith said. “But I want them to look for some longer-range shots and good opportunities if a team doesn’t step up.”
The Gamecocks outshot their opponents 27-3 this weekend, an effort that helped senior goalkeeper Sabrina D’Angelo pick up the 20th and 21st shutouts of her career.
Leach, the anchor of the defense in front of D’Angelo, has an unwavering confidence in a unit that allowed .61 goals per game in 2013.
“Organization is huge, and communication,” Leach said. “If you’re not talking, you’re not doing something right, so we’re constantly on each other. As long as we’re talking and moving properly, nothing really gets by us.”
Freshman midfielder Savannah McCaskill had an active first weekend of her collegiate career, as she recorded five shots, four of which were on goal.
On the offensive side of the ball, depth appears to once again be a strength for South Carolina. Eleven different players registered shots this weekend, with seven of Sunday’s 19 shots coming from bench players.
“Our team is huge. You can bring anybody in off the bench to give us a spark,” Leach said. “It’s not like there’s a drop-off. If anything, our momentum carries and actually increases when people come in off the bench.”
The Gamecocks recorded 13 of their 19 shots in the second half, including a variety of chances with over a dozen players directly in front of the goal.
Once South Carolina rounds into midseason form, Johnson expects her team’s execution to improve.
“It’s going to get a lot better once we all know how to play off each other in a game situation,” Johnson said. “But for opening weekend, I feel like it went pretty well.”
South Carolina will continue its five-game home stand Friday when they kick off the Garnet and Black Classic against Boston University.
Questions regarding the team’s offensive presence surfaced following a 2-0 defeat at the hands of Duke in a friendly last week. A 2-0 start to the season had Smith feeling much better.
“I’m happy to come out with two wins, two shutouts,” Smith said. “We scored goals that we had trouble doing in the preseason. I’m happy with where we are and what we can build on.”