Gamecocks Picked To Finish Third In SEC In Preseason Coaches’ Poll
COLUMBIA, S.C. (WOLO) – Carolina Women’s Soccer has been ranked fourth nationally entering the 2017 season, the highest spot for any SEC team in the preseason poll.
Yet the Gamecocks have been picked to finish third by their league.
The Southeastern Conference’s coaches poll was released Tuesday, listing USC behind Florida and Texas A&M in the rankings.
Points for Tuesday’s coaches’ poll were compiled on a 13-12-11-10-9-8-7-6-5-4-3-2-1 basis, and each coach was not allowed to vote for his/her own team.
Seventh-ranked Florida topped the poll, while Texas A&M was selected to finish second. Carolina closes out the regular season at Florida on Thu. Oct. 26, in a match set to air on SEC Network.
The Gamecocks return five starters and 12 letterwinners from last season’s squad that captured the SEC Regular-Season Title after posting an 11-0-0 mark in conference action. Last fall’s title marked the third league championship for Carolina, which won the 2009 SEC Tournament before earning the conference’s regular-season title in 2011.
Notable Gamecock returnees this season include 2016 SEC Offensive Player of the Year Savannah McCaskill and All-SEC First Team selection Mikayla Krzeczowski. McCaskill, a senior striker, totaled program single-season records for points (45) and goals (17) last fall, while Krzeczowski posted the school’s lowest single-year goals against average (0.43). Both Carolina standouts were placed on the 2017 MAC Hermann Trophy Watch List earlier this month.
Kickoff against the Knights on Friday is set for 7 p.m. ET at Stone Stadium, and the match can be seen on SEC Network.
Preseason Coaches’ Poll
- Florida
- Texas A&M
- South Carolina
- Missouri
- Arkansas
- Auburn
- Tennessee
- Vanderbilt
- Ole Miss
- Alabama
- LSU
USC SID contributed to this article.
