SC Soccer Forums SCSoccer.com Forums College, Pro & International Soccer WSOC: Carolina Cup @ USC this Weekend

Hello Soccer Fans,

Just a reminder that tomorrow, Friday, September 5th, is the start of the Carolina Cup. It's the only time of the year where you can see FOUR D-I local college soccer programs play in one place. The action starts off at 5:00 pm with Francis Marion VS Furman then followed by the South Carolina VS Clemson at 7:30 pm. And on Sunday, at 11:30 am Francis Marion VS Clemson is followed by South
Carolina VS Furman at 2:00 pm.


Any club member, youth & adults, wearing their club shirt or apparel receives a $1 admission rate. If you buy a ticket for the first game of each day you can stay for the second game for FREE! So that means you can watch four games for the price of $2 if you wear club apparel. Also, kids 8th grade & under will have a chance to sign up and win a pizza party with the South Carolina Women's Soccer
Team at the end of the year.

Set up before and during each of the four games will be the South Carolina Fan Zone on the South Marion side of the stadium closest to the Fieldhouse. There will be various activities and inflatables for younger soccer fans to partake in as they enjoy a weekend full of D-1 soccer. Don't forget to pick up your South Carolina women's soccer posters to get autographs from members of the team following
the game.

* Our staff has been monitoring the weather and everything looks promising. If there are any changes we will post them on our website -- www.GamecocksOnline.com -- ASAP.

NOTE: Due to construction on The Dodie Academic Enrichment Center, a large section of Heyward Street will be closed to
traffic beginning immediately. Fans planning to attend upcoming men's and women's soccer events at Stone Stadium should be aware of this closure and seek an alternate route to parking lots surrounding the stadium.

USC SID

Friday's Matches
Francis Marion 1:1 Furman
South Carolina 1:0 Clemson

COLUMBIA, S.C. - Midfielder Lindsay Small stepped up for the second consecutive game to lead the South Carolina women's soccer team to a 1-0 victory against rival Clemson in front of 1,254 fans at Stone Stadium, the third largest crowd to watch a women's soccer match the stadium. The win is the third consecutive home victory for the Gamecocks against the Tigers and marks the 10th straight shutout victory in the series as the winning team has stifled the opponent in every match since 1999.

USC 1:0 CU

September 5, 2008

Fry Lifts Furman Over Francis Marion In Carolinas’ Cup Opener, 2-1

Greenville, S.C. ­ Senior Rachel Fry scored in the 88th minute to propel Furman to a 2-1 victory over Francis Marion in the opening game of the 2008 Carolinas’ Cup Friday evening in Columbia, S.C.

Fry collected the ball on the right flank and beat Patriot keeper Emily Brandenburg at the 87:45 mark to notch the game-winning goal and improve Furman to 2-0-1 on the season.

After a scoreless first half, freshman Martha Hall put the Paladins on top in the 57th minute. The Knoxville, Tenn., native got on the end of a Sara El-Shami free kick and beat Brandenburg for her second goal of the season. The Patriots answered in the 81st minute as Amanda Hall beat the Paladin
defense down the left side to score the equalizer.

Furman managed a 20-5 edge in shots and 5-1 advantage in corner kicks. Brandenburg stopped eight shots for Francis Marion while Furman’s Briana da Mota recorded three saves in the victory.

The Paladins return to action Sunday when they face host South Carolina at 12:30 p.m.

Wouldn't College of Charleston be a better option then Francis Marion for this event? USC, Clemson, Furman and CofC seem to be the top four programs in South Carolina.

Lady Eagles snap Navy's 11-game home unbeaten streak.

http://www.winthropeagles.com/default.asp?section=17&type=story&id=5197

Clemson 3:0 Francis Marion
South Carolina 2:1 (OT) Furman

September 7, 2008

Furman Drops Overtime Heartbreaker At South Carolina, 2-1

Columbia, S.C. ­ South Carolina’s Kim Miller converted a penalty kick in the 94th minute to give the Gamecocks a 2-1 overtime victory over Furman in the finale of the Carolinas’ Cup Sunday afternoon in Columbia, S.C.

The win improved the Gamecocks to 4-0-1 on the season while Furman fell to 2-1-1.

In the opening minutes of extra time, Furman went on the attack. Katya Gokhman received a pass in the box and appeared to be taken down from behind after beating her defender but no call was made. South Carolina gained possession just moments later and Furman was whistled for a foul in the box giving the Gamecocks a penalty which Miller finished for the game-winning goal.

“I was very proud of our effort this afternoon and disappointed that the game ended like it did,” said Furman coach Andrew Burr. “Lucy Martin created several chances for us and scored a nice goal. We are excited about returning home and building on this effort.”

South Carolina took a 1-0 lead in the first half when Kayla Grimsley headed a Natalie Aaron cross by Paladin keeper Briana da Mota in the 27th minute. Furman answered less than 10 minutes into the second half. Martin, who had hit the cross bar in the opening 45 minutes, hammered a
shot that glanced off of the bottom of the bar and into the goal at 54:23 to tie the game at 1-1.

Both teams had opportunities in the final 30 minutes, but were unable to convert prior to Miller’s overtime penalty kick at 93:38. Martin and Rachel Fry were both named to the all-tournament team for the Paladins who scored a 2-1 victory over Francis Marion on Friday night.

South Carolina outshot the Paladins 15-8 on the day, including 12-5 after intermission. Mollie Patton registered two saves and earned the victory in goal for the Gamecocks. Da Mota notched four saves for Furman.

The Paladins will look to bounce back when they host UNC Asheville in a non-conference match Wednesday at 6 p.m. at Stone Stadium.

Miller’s OT PK Against Furman Gives Gamecocks Carolina’s Cup Championship

Kim Miller hit a penalty kick in the 54th minute to lead South Carolina past Furman, 2-1

COLUMBIA, S.C. – With the Carolina’s Cup championship on the line, midfielder Kim Miller hit a penalty kick in the 94th minute to lead South Carolina to a 2-1 overtime victory over Furman Sunday afternoon at Stone Stadium. With the win, the Gamecocks improve to 4-0-1 and win the Carolina’s Cup for the second consecutive year.

Furman, who defeated Francis Marion in Friday’s match, drops to 2-1-1 on the year and claims third place in the tournament due to a tiebreaker with Clemson. The Tigers and Paladins both went 1-1 on the weekend, but Clemson’s goal differential moves them to second place.

“We survived a tough Sunday match coming off a high beating Clemson,” South Carolina head coach Shelley Smith said. “To come into Sunday, you try to never be flat, and that’s something we worked hard on to start preparing for those SEC Sunday matches. We did well to find a way to win the game. That is important for this group to do that. It’s a sign of successful teams because every player that came into the game played an important role for us. Everyone on this team deserves credit for the two wins this weekend. We didn’t put our best game out there today, but we did find a way to win so I’m proud of that final result.

Miller’s penalty kick came after a foul inside the 18’ just three minutes after the start of overtime. Her last PK attempt came in the 2007 NCAA Tournament game against Duke where she was the only Gamecock to knock in a kick in the first round match. After watching teammate Samantha Diaz-Matosas score the game-winner against East Carolina last Thursday on a PK, Miller again stepped up to the pressure and knocked it into the left corner past preseason All-SoCon selection Briana da Mota. The goal was the second career score for Miller, who was one of four Gamecocks named to the All-Tournament Team in addition to Lindsay Small who was named Tournament MVP. “Miller played crucial minutes for us,” Smith said. “She rarely comes out of the match because she’s a leader out there. She is extremely consistent, and that’s what she brings to the table when she takes a PK. She is consistent and knows it, so that allows her to step up with confidence. I’m excited for her to be able to put the team on her shoulders like that and finish. It showed experience on her part as a junior captain. That’s the leadership you need in a young team.”

The Gamecocks ran on the attack immediately as Brooke Jacobs fired a shot on goal 15 seconds into the match that was saved by Furman keeper Brianna da Mota. Jacobs then snuck a pass behind the defense to Shannon Bigbie in the third minute but the keeper was able to run out for the ball before Bigbie was able to get off a shot. From then, the Paladins began to take control, keeping possession for a long stretch that included a shot by Lucy Martin in the eighth minute that clanged off the crossbar following a corner kick. The Gamecocks didn’t get another good look on goal until freshman Kayla Grimsley’s header for a goal in the 26th to take the 1- 0 lead. The goal was the first for Grimsley, a three-time Florida state player of the year in high school, and came courtesy of a cross from freshman Natalie Aaron.

Furman’s Martin scored the equalizer in the 55th minute from a shot 20 yards out the bounced off the bottom of the crossbar and into the net. The goal against was the first allowed by South Carolina on the year, a span of 434:23 for keeper Mollie Patton. South Carolina came close to coming back on top in the 63rd as Jacobs flicked a pass to to Grimsley who then kicked it ahead to an open Natalie Aaron, but the player was called offside to end the threat. Aaron would get another chance in the 69th on a pass from Jacobs, but the shot missed the frame. Following a Furman foul, Aaron again saw the ball at her feet and got off two shots in a 10 second span, both good strikes that were blocked by the last line of the Furman defense. Grimsley had another look in the 82nd minute that hit the crossbar. Jacobs then beat the keeper in the 85th minute but was too far up to get a good placement on goal as the teams went to overtime tied 1-1.

At the end of regulation, South Carolina held a 13-8 advantage in shots and a 7-4 advantage in corner kicks. The Gamecock were able to use their depth to their advantage on a hot and humid afternoon at Stone Stadium following about 15 minutes of rain at the conclusion of the first game between Clemson and Francis Marion. Every healthy position player contributed to the win while Patton, who leads the SEC with a 0.19 goals against average, recorded two saves for her fourth win in goal. “That’s what we need throughout the season,” Smith said. “We have to go to our depth, especially on Sunday’s. That’s when everyone on the roster needs to be ready to go. Some played a couple of minutes here and there, but that was crucial for us to get through a 93-minute overtime match. Sometimes they feel like if you don’t play a lot of minutes that you don’t help much, but anytime we can get rotation in and our play doesn’t drop, that is going to carry us through the season.”

South Carolina returns to action next weekend when they travel to Auburn, Ala., for the Auburn Soccer Classic. The Gamecocks will take on No. 25 Marquette (4-1-0) on Friday at 5:30 pm EST to open the tournament. They will then take on 2007 national runner-up No. 5 Florida State (5-0-0) Sunday at noon.

CAROLINA CUP STANDINGS
South Carolina (2-0)
Clemson (1-1; 3 GF, 1 GA)
Furman (1-1, 3 GF, 2 GA)
Francis Marion (0-2)

CAROLINA’S CUP TOURNAMENT MVP
Lindsay Small – M – South Carolina

CAROLINA’S CUP ALL-TOURNAMENT TEAM
Kim Miller – M – South Carolina
Kayla Grimsley – M – South Carolina
Brooke Jacobs – F – South Carolina
Mollie Patton – GK – South Carolina
Molly Johnson – D – Clemson
Katie Vogel – M – Clemson
Jennifer Ficklen – D/M – Clemson
Rachel Fry – M – Furman
Lucy Martin – F - Furman
Amanda Hall – F – Francis Marion
Angela Salem – M – Francis Marion

Congrats to Fort Mill's Jen Ficklen on making the All-Tournament team.

Also good to see Fort Mill's Danielle Schmitt get 40 minutes in the USC game and 42 minutes against Francis Marion.

Lindsay Small Named to Soccer America National Team of the Week Junior hit the game-winning goal to defeat rival Clemson last week

COLUMBIA, S.C. – South Carolina junior midfielder Lindsay Small has been named to the Soccer America national Team of the Week following her performance this weekend at the Carolina’s Cup. Small was named Tournament MVP after helping lead Carolina to a 2-0 weekend against 2007 NCAA Tournament participants Clemson and Furman. Small hit the game-winning goal in the 48th minute to defeat rival Clemson in Friday’s opener. The game- winning goal was her second in as many games for the Gamecocks after also hitting the game-winner to defeat Boston last Sunday, another postseason participant from last season.

Normally a defensive midfielder for the Gamecocks, the goals were the first in her career as well as her first points as a Gamecock. Small leads the Gamecocks on the year with two goals and four points despite only attempting six shots. Her .333 shot percentage is also tops on the team. She is tied for the SEC lead in game-winning goals and is fourth in the conference in points. She has also been instrumental in leading the Gamecocks to an SEC-best four shutouts through five games.

She becomes the first Gamecock named to Soccer America’s team since Lindsay Thorstenson was named the national player of the week last season after shutting out defending national champion North Carolina in the season opener.

South Carolina (4-0-1) returns to action next weekend when they travel to Auburn, Ala., for the Auburn Soccer Classic. The Gamecocks will take on Marquette (4-1-0) on Friday at 5:30 pm EST to open the tournament. They will then take on 2007 national runner-up No. 7 Florida State (4-1-0) Sunday at noon.