No. 9 women’s soccer prepares to face Clemson over the weekend
Friday’s women’s soccer matchup will feature an intense battle between the Gamecocks and in-state rival Clemson.
The contest looks to be somewhat of a dog fight, as both teams come into the match with an unblemished 4-0 record. The deciding factor may boil down to whether South Carolina’s gauntlet of a defense can stop Clemson’s offensive power.
The Tigers head to Stone Stadium with 18 goals already in the young season, almost receiving enough votes to crack the top 25 ranking in recent polls. The Gamecocks’ defense has been more than stout, as the team has yet to allow a goal, helping their recent jump into the top 10 of the polls, with a No. 9 ranking. Head coach Shelley Smith recognized something has to give this Friday but is happy South Carolina is playing in their backyard.
“They’ve shown they can score goals, and we’re a hard team to break down, so it’s going to be a great matchup,” Smith said. “We’re glad to be home.”
Although Clemson’s high-powered offense is a concern for South Carolina’s game plan, Smith said the Gamecocks need to simply “stick to what they do well.” Sticking to that plan seems to be the mindset — sophomore forward Sophie Groff added that the team was not going to change anything for its rival.
“We’re really just going to continue to keep doing what we’re doing,” Groff said. “We’re not focusing on anything specific when it comes to Clemson.”
The Gamecocks’ play against previous opponents similar to Clemson shows that the team isn’t fixated on a special game plan against the Tigers. Smith said South Carolina expects to do to Clemson what the team has done in the past: limit quality teams’ scoring opportunities.
Limiting Clemson’s chances won’t come easy, but Groff said the Gamecocks want to continue pressuring the Tigers. Not only will that team pressure help South Carolina, but Smith also said being organized on defense and making few errors will also give them success.
“We need to make sure we limit any breakdowns. We’ve done well with that so far,” Smith said. “We need to make sure we’re doing a great job to transition from our defensive shape to our offensive shape so we’re putting good pressure on their defense as well.”
The Gamecocks are happy to know that if they do have any breakdowns, they have a goalkeeper in Sabrina D’Angelo, who hasn’t allowed a goal into the net. And D’Angelo’s play hasn’t gone unnoticed, as she earned this week’s SEC Defensive Player of the Week title, and Smith said D’Angelo’s presence gives her players some relief in tight situations.
“When she’s been called upon to make a save, she’s made it,” Smith said. “We know if we do have some kind of breakdown, that she’s there to give us a great backup.”
Groff was quick to add that D’Angelo gives the team more flexibility while playing.
“It’s incredible to have her back there — we’re really lucky to have such a good goalkeeper,” Groff said. “It kind of gives us more freedom to do a little more than if we didn’t have a goalkeeper that we trusted.”
D’Angelo’s tenacity will be needed against South Carolina’s biggest foe. Although Clemson is often seen as a hated enemy, Smith is happy that the Tigers are showing they’ll be competitive within the conference and non-league games like this Friday will better prepare the Gamecocks going forward leading up to SEC play.
“We’re happy when any team coming in here has been doing well,” Smith said. “We want that challenge in our schedule.”