Sarah Eskew is headed to — or at the very least near — Disney World for her birthday.
When asked after Friday's win over Florida in the NCAA quarterfinals why her teammates sang "Happy Birthday" during post-game stretches, South Carolina forward Savannah McCaskill quickly had the answer.
Eskew, a freshman midfielder, turned 19 the same day the Gamecocks punched their ticket to the first Women's College Cup — the 2017 edition of which will be held in Orlando — in the history of South Carolina women's soccer.
Grace Fisk’s header off a Lindsey Lane corner kick in the 13th minute and Lane's shot from outside the penalty area in the 77th made the difference in the Gamecocks' fourth consecutive shutout of the NCAA Tournament. Goalkeeper Mikayla Krzeczowski added four saves in the win to seal her 14th solo clean sheet of 2017. With Friday’s victory, the Gamecocks head to Orlando next week for their first Women’s College Cup appearance in the program's 23-year history.
Lane's goal and assist gave her three and four on the year, respectively, and showed the strong offensive side the senior midfielder has put on grand display in the latter half of this season.
"We were practicing corners a lot this week, and I was just trying to hit the back side of the six [yard box]," Lane said of her assist on Fisk's goal. "Gracie came through and got her head on it and put it in that spot that was hard for the keeper to get to."
It was that early goal that allowed the Gamecocks to control the pace of play early and left Florida increasingly desperate as the minutes ticked away.
On her goal in the second half, Lane ran with Breukelen Woodard's pass just outside the 18-yard box and blasted a long drive past Florida goalkeeper Kaylan Marckese to all but solidify South Carolina's spot in Orlando. Like Fisk's goal before it, the play showed the Gamecocks' keen ability to score from anywhere in their opponent's half.
But more than that, Friday's match reminded the college soccer world that South Carolina is still far and away one of the toughest teams to score on. The Gamecocks have not allowed a goal in nearly 400 minutes of play, conceding their last score in a 1-0 upset loss to Arkansas in the first round of the SEC Tournament on Oct. 31.
Florida pushed hard for a goal in the second half Friday, taking eight shots and finding the target three times, but could not beat Krzeczowski. Senior midfielder Gabby Seiler came closest in the 73rd minute with a rising shot from the top of the box that Krzeczowski barely pushed over the crossbar.
After the game, Seiler, who spent her first two seasons at Georgia, became choked up when describing the importance of the Gators' tournament run in recognizing head coach Becky Burleigh's role with the team.
"[With] Becky's parents passing away, and just being able to be there for her and rise up for her," Seiler said. "This season was for her."
Burleigh lost her father in February and her mother in June. Speaking after Friday's game, she had only praise to heap upon her outgoing captain.
"Gabby was our only captain this year, which has been pretty rare for us," Burleigh said. "And in this stretch, from the SEC tournament to the NCAA tournament, I mean, she was just amazing."
One of four seniors on Florida's 2017 roster, Seiler scored seven goals and recorded 10 assists while starting each of her 47 career games at Florida.
"I know she has what's best for this team at the forefront of her mind," Burleigh said.
South Carolina faces the Stanford Cardinal in the College Cup semifinal at Orlando City Stadium next Friday at 5 or 7:30 p.m. Appearing in their eighth Women's College Cup, Stanford defeated fellow quarterfinalist Penn State 4-0 at home Friday. The Pac-12 champion Cardinal (18-1-0) also took the top spot in the United Soccer Coaches final regular season poll on Nov. 7.
"We know how strong Stanford is," South Carolina head coach Shelley Smith said of the powerful Stanford offense her team will meet next Friday. "All these teams that make it to the Final Four are. We have probably one of the best defenses in the country, and so it will be harder for them to find the back of the net."
Florida handed Stanford its only loss of the season, 3-2, at Gainesville on Aug. 25.
Orlando City Stadium is 17.1 miles up Interstate 4 from Walt Disney World.