South Carolina's composed defense and back line and commanding goalkeeping led the team to its 24th consecutive SEC win Sunday night against No. 11 Tennessee on the road and earned her SEC Defensive Player of the Week honor along with being named to the National Player of the Week for the first time.
For goalkeeper Mikayla Krzeczowski, this win showed the strength of South Carolina's defense as they maintained the shutout. Krzeczowski is now tied for the second-most shutouts in Gamecock history alongside Sabrina D'Angelo.
This powerhouse inside the goal contributed to her team's record-breaking 2017 season, including a run to the Final Four, and continues to dominate in the goal with seven saves so far this season.
“Every year we try to raise the bar and reaching the Final Four, breaking records, making program history is huge, so that'll be the new standard almost every year to follow," Krzeczowski said.
Last season, she looked to players like Lindsey Lane and Savannah McCaskill for leadership on the field, but now has found herself stepping into a role similar to theirs.
“I’d like to take little portions of their leaderships and try to mold it into something unique for me," Krzeczowski said. "A lot of us are on this team are starting to transition more into that role. So it's just a matter of how we execute and things like that.”
This 5'6" keeper had to adjust to South Carolina's new back line at the start of the season, especially with Grace Fisk missing on defense. Krzeczowski soon learned how to communicate and help the new defenders to step up in the absence of Fisk.
Krzeczowski believes defense is key to the team's ability to be dominate in their performances each game. Krzeczowski has been a vital component to the integration of new talent into the team dynamic this season.
“Powerful, demanding, like I said I am not the tallest out there so if I sound like I'm ten feet tall that’s all that needs to be heard, Krzeczowski said. "I love communication, organizing. Back in the day somebody told me that goalkeeper is kind of like the quarterback position, you have to [have] a lot of communication, you get to see the whole field.”
Krzeczowski's passion for being inside the net helps her be aggressive on the field and come off of her line while making quick decisions in the net.
“Every game is a brand new opportunity and I love it. I love my position," she said. "I love thriving on pressure, obviously if you make one mistake back there it's most likely going to end up being a goal so that’s kind of where I like to thrive.”
Head coach Shelley Smith said she's proud of Krzeczowski for taking on more responsibility this season.
"What makes a good goalkeeper is not only when they make big saves, but help limiting the amount of shots other teams have," Smith said. "Tonight, when they had opportunities inside, Mikayla came out and had huge saves. That's what we want to see in our goalkeeper."