South Carolina women's soccer looking to overcome last year's early exit in 2024 SEC Tournament

During postseason play, seeds and records are cast aside. All that matters are the two teams facing off against each other on the field, both trying to accomplish the same goal: to advance to the next round.

Sometimes, this can lead to an upset win for a lower-seeded team. A higher-seeded team, despite performing better over the course of an entire season, could have a bad day that results in the end of its campaign.

The South Carolina women’s soccer team fell victim to this trope during the SEC Tournament last year.

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The Gamecocks headed into the conference tournament as one of its top seeds. Through 10 conference matches, they had won five and drawn five more, giving them the No. 3 overall seed.

But South Carolina was unable to make it past the first round. The Gamecocks were out-shot 16-9 (including 11-5 in the second half) by No. 6 seed Texas A&M, which eventually saw its efforts rewarded with a 79th-minute game-winning goal from Sydney Becerra.

South Carolina’s upset loss would prove to be only a minor setback for the team, though. Just over one week later, the Gamecocks went on to compete in the NCAA Tournament, where they reached the round of 32.

This season, South Carolina will be looking to advance further in both tournaments. The team most recently won an SEC Tournament championship in 2022, and another one could be in the cards this year.

But before the Gamecocks kick off their 2024 postseason on Tuesday, let’s recap the team’s regular season.

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How they got here

The South Carolina women’s soccer team kicked off the season with a nine-match unbeaten streak, consisting of five wins and four draws. During that time frame, the Gamecocks picked up two 1-1 ties against ranked opponents (on Aug. 29 against then-No. 16 Ohio State and Sept. 5 against then-No. 25 Clemson). The team also earned a 1-0 win over then-No. 20 Kentucky on Sept. 22.

That streak came to an end one game later, though, in a 2-0 loss to then-No. 2 Arkansas. But that defeat would be only one of two the Gamecocks suffered during the regular season. That second loss came on Oct. 30 and also happened against a team ranked second in the country (Mississippi State).

South Carolina has either been ranked in or hovered around the United Soccer Coaches Poll’s top 25 most of the season. The Gamecocks started off the season as the No. 21 team in the country and have reached as high as No. 14 in the poll after it pulled off a 2-1 upset over then-No. 13 Auburn on Oct. 27.

Overall, South Carolina is 8-2-7 (wins-losses-draws) on the season and has registered a 5-2-3 mark against SEC opponents. In the process, the Gamecocks finished fourth in the SEC with 18 points, behind only Mississippi State, Arkansas, and Texas.

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Key players

Catherine Barry (Fifth-year, forward) – Barry has been a mainstay at the top of South Carolina’s front line and is already one of the most prolific scorers in the program’s history. She has logged 46 goals across five seasons, and her 13 scores this season rank first, not just on the team, but in the entire SEC. She has provided an additional six assists on her way to being an All-SEC First Team selection for the third consecutive time in 2024.

Gracie Falla (Junior, defender) – Falla, the reigning SEC Defensive Player of the Year, has put in another solid campaign for the Gamecocks. She has played the most minutes of any player on the team (1,413) and has played a full 90 minutes in 15 of her 16 appearances. Falla was a key cog in a defensive unit that held opponents scoreless in four matches. Like Barry, she also made the All-SEC First Team.

Katie Shea Collins (Freshman, forward) – Collins burst onto the women’s college soccer scene in her first match, where she scored a hat trick of goals against Furman. She went on to finish the season with nine goals (three of which were game-winners) and logged three SEC Freshman of the Week nods, which is a program record. Collins was named to both the All-SEC Second Team and the All-SEC Freshman Team.

Round one details

South Carolina’s first opponent of the 2024 SEC Tournament will be No. 12 seed Alabama, which pulled off a 2-1 upset win over No. 5 seed Vanderbilt on Sunday night. Kickoff is set for 8 p.m. on Tuesday. The game will air on the SEC Network.

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