No. 6 Soccer to take on No. 10 South Carolina in SEC Tournament semifinals
ORANGE BEACH, Ala. – Sixth-ranked and top-seeded Arkansas Soccer (8-1, 7-1 SEC) advanced to their fifth-straight semifinals appearance at the SEC Tournament and will face No. 10 South Carolina (7-2, 6-2) on Thursday, Nov. 19. First kick in Orange Beach is scheduled for 6 p.m. CT and the match will be televised on SEC Network.
The matchup with the Gamecocks will be a rematch of the 2019 SEC Tournament title game, which South Carolina won 1-0. This will be the fifth match in seven meetings since 2016 that both squads enter the match ranked in the polls.
The Razorbacks last win against South Carolina came in 1-0 upset victory in the 2017 SEC Tournament quarterfinals. The Gamecocks were ranked No. 3 nationally and boasting a 14-match unbeaten streak coming into the game. Taylor Malham and Kayla McKeon were both awarded assists on the game-winning goal from former Razorback Tori Cannata.
Game 10 Info
Opponent: South Carolina Gamecocks
Date: Thursday, Nov. 19
First Kick: 6:00 p.m. CT
Live Stats: bit.ly/3pwk8L0
Stream: es.pn/38W23Au
Scouting the Gamecocks
Fourth-seeded South Carolina is coming off a 3-2 victory over the No. 5 seed Missouri Tigers in the quarterfinals on Tuesday, Nov. 17. The Gamecocks jumped out to a 3-0 lead, but the Tigers got two back in the span of 14 minutes in the second half. However, South Carolina was able to hold out for the remaining 30 minutes to prevent an equalizer.
Freshman forward Catherine Barry leads the Gamecocks with four goals this season. Barry added a goal and assist in the quarterfinal win over Missouri.
Last Time Out
In the quarterfinals against No. 15 Auburn, the Razorbacks netted four goals in the first 22 minutes, holding on for a 4-3 victory after the Tigers put away three goals in the second half. The Hogs tallied four goals in Orange Beach for just the third time in their last eight appearances since 2012.
Kayla McKeon scored two goals, her 26th and 27th career goals, while Taylor Malham recorded a goal and an assist. Arkansas has won six-straight matches against Auburn, the longest in the all-time series, and is now 3-0 against the Tigers at the SEC Tournament.
Quick Kicks
>> The Razorbacks have reached four-straight SEC Tournament championship matches. This is the second-straight year Arkansas is the No. 1 seed in Orange Beach.
>> The Razorbacks lead the SEC in goals (21), assists (18) and points (60) this season, with three Razorbacks ranking individually in the top 10 in goals and points. Anna Podojil’s seven assists rank atop the league lead.
>> Arkansas won its second-straight SEC regular season title in 2020, the only two in program history. The Hogs have gone 15-2-1 against conference opponents in the regular season the last two years.
>> Seven Razorbacks were honored with SEC postseason awards. Anna Podojil was named SEC Forward of the Year and Colby Hale was named SEC Coach of the Year for the second season in-a-row. Arkansas put three on the First Team All-SEC, Kayla McKeon on the Second Team All-SEC and two on the All-Freshman Team.
>> Arkansas also raked in SEC postseason awards in 2019 with head coach Colby Hale taking SEC Coach of the Year, senior Haley VanFossen winning SEC Defender of the Year and Anna Podojil being named SEC Freshman of the Year. All three were program firsts.
>> Parker Goins and Taylor Malham joined Podojil and VanFossen on the All-SEC First Team. It was just the second time in school history that Arkansas put four on the first team in one season.
>> The Hogs are coming off their fourth-straight trip to the NCAA Tournament in 2019 and made it to the second round for the third time in four years. All six NCAA Tournament appearances in school history have come under head coach Colby Hale.
