In their final regular season game, South Carolina women's soccer came away with a 2-0 victory over Ole Miss to preserve the first undefeated season in conference history.
“It’s just an all around team effort, and I’m really proud and excited for what is to come in the postseason,” Coach Shelley Smith said after the win.
South Carolina asserted control early in the game, tallying four shots on goal by the second minute. Just before the five minute mark senior forward Daija Griffin scored the first unofficial goal of the night before the Gamecocks were called for offsides.
Junior forward Savannah McCaskill scored in the 18th minute after driving down the field, putting the Gamecocks up 1-0. The goal pushed her season point total to 35, breaking a program record. Not long after, senior forward Sophie Groff racked up her sixth goal of the season, aided by an assist from McCaskill.
"She's been a difference maker for us since the day she stepped on campus," said Smith on McCaskill's historic season. "Just to see her raise her level of play this year as a junior, it says a lot about her and her determination."
The Gamecocks led in shots for the first half by a ratio of 12-2. They also held possession of all six corner kicks of the first half. Rebels' keeper Marnie Merritt made five saves in the half.
In the second half Ole Miss increased their offensive production. The Rebels outshot the Gamecocks 8-1 in the half. Addie Forbus recorded the only shot on goal of the night for the Rebels in the 58th minute, which was saved by South Carolina keeper Mikayla Krzeczowski.
Ultimately, the second half remained scoreless, allowing South Carolina to finish their season 17-0-1, declaring them SEC Champions.
“A lot of times you have to have a loss to learn from things, but this team has found ways to improve throughout the season and find ways to win,” McCaskill said.
In addition to this being the final regular season match, it was also Senior Night for South Carolina. Paige Bendell, Bay Daniel, Chelsea Drennan, Daija Griffin, Sophie Groff, Vanessa Kovar, Kaleigh Kurtz, Evelyn Robinson and Claire Studebaker were awarded jerseys with the numbers they faithfully wore throughout their South Carolina career.
Sports Editor Bobby Balboni contributed to this article.