The No. 14 South Carolina women's soccer team earned a No. 3 seed in the NCAA Division I Women's Soccer Tournament on Monday.
After playing three matches at the 2024 SEC Women's Soccer Tournament, the Gamecocks returned home to host a watch party for the bracket reveal.
The Gamecocks (10-3-7, 5-2-3 SEC) will host the East Carolina Pirates (10-3-7, 5-2-3 AAC) at 6 p.m. on Friday at Stone Stadium.
"I'm honored to be their coach," head coach Shelly Smith said. "(I'm) proud of what they've done this season to put themselves in this competitive environment again. It's not easy to make the NCAA Tournament."
South Carolina is coming off a narrow defeat to No. 21 Texas in the SEC Tournament Championship on Sunday, where the Gamecocks gave up the lone goal of the match in the 80th minute. Despite the loss, Smith said she was proud of her team's performance in the tournament.
"We fell a little short in the championship game," Smith said. "(I) couldn't be more proud of their efforts and how they're playing right now. I think we're a team that no one really wants to face at this moment, so we're excited and we're gonna build on what we did last week."
Prior to falling to Texas, South Carolina picked up a 3-0 win over No. 2 Mississippi State in the SEC Tournament. The win served as a statement victory for the Gamecocks over the Bulldogs, who earned a No. 1 seed in Monday's bracket reveal.
"You saw Mississippi State being one of the number one ranked teams," Smith said. "We just came off a win with them, so we know that we can play with anyone in this field. We've just got to make sure that we bring the same kind of energy again that we've been doing the last few weeks."
The Gamecocks and Pirates last met on Aug. 21, 2022, in a match that resulted in a 2-0 South Carolina win. The two programs have met seven times, and the Gamecocks have won every matchup.
"We're excited to see someone that we do not normally play," Smith said. "We have played them in the past. And it's kind of about the learning about the opponent and moving forward. We're not thinking about anything but what's coming up on Friday because we're excited to be home again."
If the Gamecocks defeat the Pirates on Friday, it will take on the winner of No. 6 seed Minnesota and South Dakota State. Florida State is the top seed in the Gamecocks' side of the bracket, while North Carolina is the No. 2 seed.
The Gamecocks have faced ten teams that qualified for the 64-team field this season, including eight from the SEC. Since the beginning of October, the Gamecocks boast a 5-2-3 record, with the team's only losses coming to the Longhorns on Sunday and Mississippi State in the team's final regular season game.
"They'll be prepared," Smith said. "It's a great league, it's tough. I'm so proud of our team to be able to do what they've done throughout that conference season to put themselves in this position."
The 2024 NCAA Tournament will be the Gamecocks' 17th postseason appearance in school history, all of which have come during Smith's head coaching tenure. It's also South Carolina's 12th consecutive tournament appearance.
"There's a big reason that coach Jamie and I are still here," Smith said. "We built this program together as a husband and wife team, as coaches that have committed to the true meaning of coaching. We like to develop players, we like to develop a program and this university is a special place."