CLEMSON, S.C. – The No. 8 Clemson women’s soccer team (11-4-0, 5-3-0 ACC) team gets set for its final game of the regular season as they make the trek to Columbia, S.C. for a top-25 matchup against No. 11 South Carolina (10-3-0, 6-2-0 SEC). The match is set to kickoff from Stone Stadium on Saturday, April 10th at 6 p.m. with live coverage on SEC Network +.
Last season the Tigers came out on top after a 44th minute Maliah Morris goal proved to be the deciding factor. The No. 20 Tigers won both the offensive and defensive battles in the 2019 showing, holding the No. 7 Gamecocks without a second half shot. Morris went on to earn her first career ACC Offensive Player of the Week honors after the 1-0 victory while the Tigers soared to No. 10 in the national rankings.
Following suit to last year’s outing, Saturday’s match will be just the sixth time in the series that both sides enter the match carrying a ranking among the top-25. Over their 26 total matches, Clemson holds the all-time series lead at 14-11-1 with six of those wins and a tie coming on the road. Despite the long history between the in-state rivals, Clemson’s Morris and South Carolina’s Lauren Chang are the only active players between the two rosters to have scored in the series.
Coming into Saturday’s match, Clemson sits on a five-game winning streak with three of those five games coming against SEC opponents. Throughout those five matches, Clemson has dominated in the attacking third, having outscored their opponents 13-3. Across the 2020-21 season, the Tigers are averaging just under two goals per game while boasting the ACC’s fourth-best goals-against average at .729. Junior goalkeeper Hensley Hancuff leads the league in save percentage at .857.
The Gamecocks hold the SEC’s second-best scoring offense with a 2.43 mark while also holding top-three placements for corner kicks per game, goals-against average, points per game, and shots per game.
