TheState.com: GoGamecocks: More USC Sports

USC women’s soccer shuts out Ohio

Mon, 30 Aug 2010 00:43 EDT

Sophomore Ali Glemser hit the game-winner and junior Kayla Grimsley notched a goal and assist to lead No. 13 South Carolina to a 2-0 victory against Ohio on Sunday at Stone Stadium in the Courtyard Cup.

USC goalie Mollie Patton made three saves for her 25th career shutout, eight shy of tying the SEC record. Glemser scored in the 39th minute off a pass from Grimsley, who scored an insurance goal in the 78th minute.

Grimsley, Kira Campbell and Elizabeth Sinclair were named to the all-tournament team for USC (3-1), which hosts Arizona State at 1 p.m. Sunday. The game was originally scheduled for 2 p.m. but moved for travel accomodations.

– From staff reports

Women's soccer team opens season with a win

Fri, 20 Aug 2010 23:23 EDT

Junior Lolly Holland broke open an even game in the 82nd minute with a goal to lead No. 12 South Carolina to a 1-0 victory against Boston University Friday night at Nickerson Field in Boston.

The win moves the Gamecocks to 1-0-0 on the year and drops the Terriers to 0-1-0 in the season opener for both squads that advanced to the NCAA Tournament last year.

Holland notched her second career goal with less than nine minutes to go to put the Gamecocks on the board with a 1-0 lead. The goal came at 81:41 courtesy of an assist from MAC Hermann Trophy Award watch list candidate Kayla Grimsley.

With the win, South Carolina improves to 9-5-2 all-time in season openers, and it is their first victory in a road season opening game since the team defeated No. 1 North Carolina 1-0 in the 2007 opener.

Holland's score broke open an even game that saw the Terriers control possession the first half before the Gamecocks began to put together their own runs in the second stanza. Before the South Carolina victory, Boston University had not lost a home game since the 2008 opener against Boston College. The Terriers went undefeated at home in 2009 and had a string of 20 consecutive wins at Nickerson Field.

Snapshots: USC Fan Appreciation Day

Sun, 15 Aug 2010 21:05 EDT

USC women's soccer No. 12 in preseason poll

Tue, 10 Aug 2010 17:01 EDT

South Carolina women's soccer will open the 2010 season as the nation's No. 12 team, its highest preseason ranking ever.

Coach Shelley Smith's earned the ranking in the preseason coaches poll released Tuesday by the National Soccer Coaches Association of America.

North Carolina tops the poll as the defending champions, followed by runner-up Stanford, UCLA, Notre Dame and Portland.

Five of South Carolina's opponents for the upcoming season are ranked.

The Gamecocks finished the 2009 campaign with a 19-4-2 record, earning the program's first SEC Tournament title and a berth in the NCAA Round of 16. Smith guided South Carolina to school records for conference (seven) and overall (19) victories in a season en route to earning SEC and NSCAA South Region Coach of the Year honors.

2 Gamecocks chosen to preseason soccer team

Mon, 09 Aug 2010 16:35 EDT

South Carolina junior forward Kayla Grimsley and senior defender Brittiny Rhoades were selected to the fourth annual women's soccer Coaches Preseason All-SEC team, the conference office announced Monday.

Since the Preseason All-SEC team debuted in 2007, the Gamecocks have had seven selections, which ties Tennessee for second-most in the conference. Grimsley (Lakeland, Fla.) earns her second consecutive appearance on the preseason list and is an All-America candidate in 2010. She is a two-time All-SEC selection, a TopDrawerSoccer Team of the Season selection and returns for her junior season after one of the top all-around performances in Gamecock history.

She became just the fifth player at South Carolina to hit double-digit goals in a season and finished with 13 goals and seven assists for 33 points. She finished first in the SEC in goals, second in points and fifth in assists, while coming just one point short of setting the South Carolina single-season record.

Rhoades (Wilmington, Del.) earns her first preseason honor and continues a tradition with at least one Gamecock defender earning a nod on the preseason list. She has started 68 of 70 career games at left back in leading the Gamecocks to the best three-year period in program history. She was a 2007 Freshman All-American selection.

Florida led all schools with five selections while South Carolina, Auburn and Ole Miss each had two.

USC soccer forward out with foot fracture

Wed, 21 Jul 2010 12:28 EDT

South Carolina senior forward Sam Arthur will be out six to eight weeks due to a right foot fracture, head coach Mark Berson announced Wednesday.

Arthur underwent a successful surgery late last week on the fracture.

South Carolina opens its season at High Point in non-conference action on August 21 at 7 p.m.

Gamecocks tab Josh Goffi to lead men's tennis program

Tue, 15 Jun 2010 12:24 EDT

USC athletic director Eric Hyman announced today that he has named Josh Goffi head men's tennis coach for the Gamecocks.

Goffi, from Charleston and a former Clemson player, was named 2010 ITA Carolina Region Assistant Coach of the Year while serving as an assistant coach at Duke University. He takes the reins of the Gamecock program with a reputation as an elite recruiter with a solid strategic mind and excellent motivational tactics. "We are very excited about the future of the South Carolina men's tennis program with Josh Goffi as our head coach," Hyman said. "It's a daunting task to replace someone who has done as much for a program as Kent DeMars has done for South Carolina men's tennis. We are forever grateful to Kent for the stellar reputation he's given this program, and his success made this a position that attracted a large pool of highly qualified candidates."

Goffi said he was honored to step into the role.

"Eric Hyman and his staff have built a culture of accountability, honesty, integrity and hard work, which are some of the building blocks to my program," he said. "I immediately had a sense that this was the right place for me, and I believe this position presents a unique opportunity to fulfill my personal aspiration of building and maintaining one of the nation's top collegiate tennis programs. I am truly excited to be back in my home state, and I am proud to represent the Gamecock nation." Goffi came on at Duke in July 2008 with an eye on helping newly-named head coach Ramsey Smith return the Blue Devil program to national prominence. The duo wasted little time in accomplishing that task as Duke turned a sub-.500 record in 2007-08 into a 16-9 mark in 2008-09 and a No. 14 final ranking in 2009-10, during which the team posted a 20-9 record. The improvement was built on recruiting, of which Goffi took control immediately.

He was the primary recruiter of Brazilian Henrique Cunha, who was named ITA National Rookie of the Year and earned 2010 ACC Player and Freshman of the Year honors and advanced to the semifinals of the NCAA Singles Championship. As a team, Duke advanced to the 2010 ACC Championship final and reached the 2010 NCAA Tournament Sweet 16. Prior to his two years at Duke, Goffi was an assistant coach with the Arizona State women's team for two seasons. Serving under legendary head coach Sheila McInerney, Goffi worked with players on goals and strengthening their strategic, tactical and mental abilities.

USC surplus expected to shrink in '10-'11

Sat, 12 Jun 2010 00:18 EDT

USC’s athletics department expects ticket sales to lag next year because of the economy. It also will pay more guaranteed money to visiting football opponents.

Those factors will contribute to an expected decline in the department’s surplus for the 2010-11 fiscal year that begins July 1.

USC anticipates being in the black by a little more than $900,000, according to a budget presentation made by athletics director Eric Hyman to the USC board Friday. The department had a surplus of $2.4 million for the 2009-10 fiscal year.

Projected revenue for ’10-’11 is $76.9 million, an increase of $2.4 million from last year. Projected expenses are $76 million, an increase of $3.9 million.

Most of the increase in revenue is projected to come from an approximate $2 million jump in gifts and donations. Conversely, ticket sales are expected to decline, from $19.9 million to $19.2 million

Dutch earns first NCAA intermediate hurdle title

Sat, 12 Jun 2010 16:57 EDT

USC’s Johnny Dutch dethroned two-time defending champion Jeshua Anderson of Washington State to win the 400-meter hurdles Friday at the NCAA Outdoor Track and Field Championships.

Dutch claimed his first national title and gave the Gamecocks their first 400 hurdles titlist.

Anderson started strong and grabbed the early lead, but Dutch reeled him in over the final two hurdles to win in 49.31 seconds to remain undefeated in the event this season.

"It feels like I’m on the highest high right now," Dutch said. "I didn’t run as fast as I wanted to, but just to go for the win is the biggest thing right now because the wind was heavy. Getting second last year made me really hungry and passionate. (I wasn’t) going for any place but first this year."

The race extended the rivalry between Dutch and Anderson. Friday’s race was contested at the same track where Dutch took fifth in the 2008 Olympic Trials and earned a berth in the 2009 World Championships, besting Anderson both times. But Anderson leveled the score by defeating Dutch at each of the past two NCAA Outdoor Championships.

USC tied for 19th at NCAA golf tourney

Wed, 19 May 2010 00:14 EDT

WILMINGTON, N.C. | The USC women’s golf team is tied for 19th after one round of the NCAA Championship at the Country Club of Landfall.

The Gamecocks shot a 12-over par 300 and trail leader Southern Cal by 18 shots. USC’s Katie Burnett, the individual winner in the East Regional, shot a 72 on Wednesday and is tied for 20th.

Amanda Strang shot a 75, Corrine Carr had a 76 and Benedicte Toumpsin and Taylor Barrett each shot a 77.

Track: Men post best finish at SEC Outdoors

Mon, 17 May 2010 01:09 EDT

The USC men’s track and field team posted a program-best, third-place finish at the SEC Outdoor Championships at Tom Black Track on Sunday.

Coach Curtis Frye’s team posted 89 points to edge Auburn by one point after a wet day at the league championships. Heavy rain and lightning in the Knoxville area led to two delays of at least an hour on Sunday.

Trailing Auburn by five points with only the men’s 1,600 relay remaining, the USC relay team of Obakeng Ngwigwa, Quentin Moore, Aaron Anderson and Johnny Dutch needed to finish third or better to claim the No. 3 spot in the team standings. The quartet finished third with a time of 3:04.19.

“This is fantastic,” Frye said. “We came in (after Saturday) ranked sixth, and the guys picked it up. We got points from everywhere. It was a total team effort. The biggest was the relay. Each of the guys picked each other up.”

The women’s team finished eighth with 48.5 points.

USC women's tennis falls in NCAA second round

Sat, 15 May 2010 18:27 EDT

The 18th-ranked South Carolina women's tennis team (17-9) suffered a 4-0 setback to No. 15 Florida State (16-10) in the second round of the NCAA Tournament on Saturday in Tallahassee, Fla.

The Gamecocks faltered in doubles for the second straight day, losing on courts one and three. At three, Amy Sargeant and Katie Rybakova defeated Adriana Pereira and Madeleine Saari-Byström 8-1, followed by Lauren McCreless and Francesca Segarelli’s 8-4 triumph over Dijana Stojic and Ana Marija Zubori at No. 1 doubles.

South Carolina held a 5-2 lead on court two thanks to Miljana Jocic and Anya Morgina. The two were pitted against the Seminole duo of Federica Suess and Jessica Sucupira.

Florida State carried the momentum in doubles over to singles by winning first sets on five of six courts. South Carolina’s lone first set went to Pereira on court five against Suess, as Pereira snagged a 7-4 victory in a tiebreaker.

McCreless recorded a 6-2, 6-1 triumph at No. 1 singles over Zubori to put the Seminoles ahead 2-0. Next, Sargeant pulled out a 6-3, 6-2 decision versus Jocic at No. 4 singles to put FSU within a point of advancing to the NCAA Championships in Athens, Ga.

USC's Clarke runs track record in 100 hurdles

Thu, 13 May 2010 22:50 EDT

At Knoxville, Tenn., USC senior Kettiany Clarke broke a seven-year old Tom Black Track record in the 100-meter hurdles to lead the Gamecocks after the first day of the SEC Outdoor Championships at the University of Tennessee.

Clarke ran a personal best 13.33.

Clarke sits third after four events in the women's heptathlon with 3,399 points. Clarke's also won in the shot put. She threw a personal best of 40 feet.

In the men's decathlon, USC's Scott Pierce is fifth after five events with 3,815 points, and Eddie Stoudemire is sixth with 3,793 points. Both runners won their heats of the 400-meter dash (Pierce with a personal best of 49.06, Stoudemire in 49.71).

USC men's soccer schedule released

Thu, 13 May 2010 22:50 EDT

USC will play seven NCAA tournament teams from last season, including No. 3 Wake Forest and No. 7 Tulsa, in the 2010 season. The season opener is Aug. 21 at High Point and the home opener is Aug. 28 against College of Charleston. USC plays host to Clemson on Sept. 3

Date Opponent Time

Aug. 21 at High Point 7 p.m.

Aug. 28 College of Charleston 7 p.m.

Sept. 3 Clemson 7 p.m.

Team-first attitude pays off for USC, Zubori

Thu, 13 May 2010 23:50 EDT

While growing up in Serbia and spending her teenage years in France, Ana Marija Zubori often heard complaints about how bad American food was.

But one trip to a Chinese buffet in south Florida on her first trip to the U.S. convinced Zubori otherwise.

"I even like the food (in the States). It's rare for Europeans to say that," Zubori said. "I was like, 'People, it's not that bad.' We don't even have buffets in Europe."

Zubori has developed an affinity for other American passions during her four years on South Carolina's women's tennis team, including college football.

But unless she finds a sponsor to play on the pro tour or lands a job with an American company, Zubori plans to return to France this summer.

USC's Brookins an accidental superstar

Wed, 12 May 2010 23:05 EDT

If LaKya Brookins had not moved to Seneca during her sophomore year of high school, she might be participating in gymnastics or basketball instead of being one of the top sprinters in the country.

The only reason the USC junior started running track was because her new teammates at Seneca said they ran in the offseason to stay in shape for basketball.

Once she began learning the intricacies of running and realizing she was pretty good at it, Brookins gave up the other two sports.

"I've been fast all my life but I didn't ever think I was even the fastest girl in school," Brookins said. "You have to learn how to run with technique and get in the weight room. After I found out I was pretty good at it, I quit everything (else)."

Brookins, a 100-meter specialist, will be a favorite in the SEC Track and Field Outdoor championships, which start today in Knoxville, Tenn.

USC women named Golfweek's team of the week

Mon, 10 May 2010 23:27 EDT

South Carolina was named the women's National Team of the Week by Golfweek, two days after the Gamecocks captured the NCAA East Regional championship, the first regional title in school history.

USC sophomore Katie Burnett was the tournament medalist at 6-under 210.

The Gamecocks next will compete in the NCAA Championship, which runs May 18-21 in Wilmington, N.C.

- From Staff Reports

Compton era comes to end with loss to Fla.

Mon, 10 May 2010 00:35 EDT

GAINESVILLE, Fla. - Joyce Compton's tenure as South Carolina softball coach came to an end Sunday with a 9-0 loss to Florida.

Compton, who announced late last month that she would step down at season's end after 24 years at the helm, finishes with a career record of 1,159-582-3 (.665) in 34 seasons at USC, Missouri and Mattatuck C.C.

She finishes 951-486-3 (.660) in 24 seasons at USC. Compton is the ninth coach in NCAA Division I history to win at least 950 games at one school.

Compton led the Gamecocks to 15 NCAA regionals, one Super Regional (2007) and two berths in the Women's College World Series. USC also won four SEC East title and two SEC tournament crowns during her tenure.

But USC has struggled in recent years. The loss to Florida on Sunday capped the program's third straight losing season.

Men's golf team earns No. 3 seed in regional

Mon, 10 May 2010 19:24 EDT

South Carolina’s men’s golf team will be the No. 3 seed in the NCAA East Regional, which runs May 20-22 in New Haven, Conn.

It will be the golf team's 14th consecutive year in the postseason and the 19th time overall.

The Gamecocks will compete at The Course at Yale, which has been the site of two other NCAA Regionals in which South Carolina competed. Those came in 1991, when current PGA Tour pro Brett Quigley led the Gamecocks to a 11th place finish and an NCAA Championship berth, and in 2004, when the Gamecocks finished 17th in a 30-team field.

"I’ve never seen the course, but I have heard some stories about it," South Carolina head coach Bill McDonald said. "It’s a very old-school, tricky golf course. I’m sure we’ll be dependent on (director of golf) Puggy (Blackmon) to give us some of his knowledge on having been there before. I’ve heard it usually has small, firm, fast greens and high rough. And that could be good for us; our guys like the old-school golf courses.”

South Carolina will join 13 other teams in competing for one of five spots in next month’s NCAA Championship, which runs June 1-5 in Chattanooga, Tenn. UCLA and Texas are the top two seeds, with the Gamecocks, Virginia and SEC foe Alabama rounding out the top five. Fellow SEC member Vanderbilt will also compete in New Haven as the No. 10 seed.

USC, Burnett rally to claim NCAA East Regional title

Sat, 08 May 2010 20:55 EDT

GREENVILLE, N.C. - The drought is over.

After going five years without a team tournament victory, South Carolina sophomore Katie Burnett claimed the individual crown and the USC women's golf team overcame a five-shot deficit entering the final round to win the team championship at the NCAA East Regional on Saturday at Ironwood Country Club.

USC shot a final-day, 2-over 290 to finish at even-par 864 for the tournament and beat Tennessee by two strokes.

"I'm really proud of them," USC coach Kalen Anderson said. "They played really steady for three days and played very well under really windy conditions today. We've been knocking on the door for a couple of tournaments now where they've been close and just haven't finished one, but they finished one at the right time."

Burnett fired a 1-under 71 in the final round to finish at 6-under for the tournament, one shot ahead of Auburn's Carlie Yadloczky. It was her first individual title.