Thursday, August 22
Columbia, S.C.
7 PM
NC State
at
#15 South Carolina
#21 Women’s Soccer Opens Season Thursday At #15 South Carolina
8/21/2019 12:45:00 PM | Women's Soccer
RALEIGH – No. 21 NC State women's soccer is set to open its season Thursday when it travels to No. 15 South Carolina for its first of a four-game road swing. Kickoff is slated for 7 p.m. at Stone Stadium in Columbia, S.C., and the match will be broadcast on the SEC Network.
SERIES HISTORY
Thursday marks the eighth time in program history that the teams have met, as the Gamecocks own a 5-2-0 advantage in the all-time series. The teams last met on Aug. 26, 2018, in Raleigh, and NC State earned a 2-1 win.
FOUR IN A ROW
A win on Thursday would mark the fourth consecutive year and sixth in seven seasons that NC State opens its season with a win under head coach Tim Santoro.
PRESEASON SUCCESS
NC State hosted College of Charleston on Saturday in its lone exhibition of the preseason, and earned a 4-2 win. Twenty-two players saw time on the field, and eight made their unofficial debuts for the Red and White.
Tziarra King (2 goals, 1 assist), Toni Starova (1 goal, 1 assist), Leyah Hall-Robinson (1 goal) and Jameese Joseph (1 assist) all tallied at least one point in the contest.
SISTER VS. SISTER
For senior Paige Griffiths, she will see a familiar face across the field Thursday as her sister, Claire, is a member of the Gamecocks program.
Claire, a redshirt sophomore, made the trip with South Carolina in 2018 to Raleigh when the teams last met.
TOP FIVE GOAL SCORERS IN NCAA
Senior Tziarra King begins the season as one of the top five career goal scorers in the NCAA. She enters her final campaign for the Pack with 35 in 66 games, which is the fourth-most among all returning goal scorers in the country.
She has been named to the 2019 Preseason All-ACC Team as well as TopDrawerSoccer's Preseason Best XI Third Team.
SCOUTING SOUTH CAROLINA
The Gamecocks were picked second in the SEC Preseason poll after finishing third in the regular season standings and reaching the second round of the NCAA Tournament. Six members of the team were named to the SEC Watch List.
South Carolina lost just one senior from its starting lineup from last season that went 14-6-1.
UP NEXT
NC State will continue its four-game road swing to start its season with a matchup Sunday at No. 7 Georgetown. Kickoff is set for 1 p.m. at Shaw Field, and there will be a live stream on guhoyas.com.
2019 ROSTER
The program lost key players Ella Bonner, Hannah Keogh, Taylor Porter and Sydney Wootten to graduation, but added four freshmen and four transfers to the 2019 squad.
NC State returns its four leading goal scorers from last season, including senior King (10 goals, 26 points). The team also brings back seven players that earned 15+ starts apiece in the 2018 campaign.
2018 RECAP
Last season the program earned a spot in the final national rankings for the third consecutive year and finished 18th in the NCAA's final RPI for its best mark in program history with an 11-7-4 ledger. It was the first time since 1990-92 that the program has landed in the final national rankings in three straight seasons.
NC State played the sixth-toughest overall schedule in the nation, including the toughest nonconference schedule in the NCAA.
The Pack hosted the NCAA First Round for the second consecutive year and reached the Sweet 16 for the second time in the last three years. Additionally, the team concluded the year with its third straight 10-win season and five wins/ties over top 20 teams.
HOME OPENER
After starting its season on the road for the first two weeks, the Pack will open its home schedule Sept. 5 when it welcomes Iowa to Dail Soccer Stadium. Kickoff is set for 7 p.m. and the match will be broadcast on the ACC Network Extra.
TICKETS
Single-match tickets are ON SALE NOW at the price of $7 for adults, $5 for youth (17 and younger) and $3 for groups of 15 or more. Children age two or younger will be admitted free.
Season tickets are also ON SALE NOW and cost $59 for adults and $25 for seniors/youth.
SERIES HISTORY
Thursday marks the eighth time in program history that the teams have met, as the Gamecocks own a 5-2-0 advantage in the all-time series. The teams last met on Aug. 26, 2018, in Raleigh, and NC State earned a 2-1 win.
FOUR IN A ROW
A win on Thursday would mark the fourth consecutive year and sixth in seven seasons that NC State opens its season with a win under head coach Tim Santoro.
PRESEASON SUCCESS
NC State hosted College of Charleston on Saturday in its lone exhibition of the preseason, and earned a 4-2 win. Twenty-two players saw time on the field, and eight made their unofficial debuts for the Red and White.
Tziarra King (2 goals, 1 assist), Toni Starova (1 goal, 1 assist), Leyah Hall-Robinson (1 goal) and Jameese Joseph (1 assist) all tallied at least one point in the contest.
SISTER VS. SISTER
For senior Paige Griffiths, she will see a familiar face across the field Thursday as her sister, Claire, is a member of the Gamecocks program.
Claire, a redshirt sophomore, made the trip with South Carolina in 2018 to Raleigh when the teams last met.
TOP FIVE GOAL SCORERS IN NCAA
Senior Tziarra King begins the season as one of the top five career goal scorers in the NCAA. She enters her final campaign for the Pack with 35 in 66 games, which is the fourth-most among all returning goal scorers in the country.
She has been named to the 2019 Preseason All-ACC Team as well as TopDrawerSoccer's Preseason Best XI Third Team.
SCOUTING SOUTH CAROLINA
The Gamecocks were picked second in the SEC Preseason poll after finishing third in the regular season standings and reaching the second round of the NCAA Tournament. Six members of the team were named to the SEC Watch List.
South Carolina lost just one senior from its starting lineup from last season that went 14-6-1.
UP NEXT
NC State will continue its four-game road swing to start its season with a matchup Sunday at No. 7 Georgetown. Kickoff is set for 1 p.m. at Shaw Field, and there will be a live stream on guhoyas.com.
2019 ROSTER
The program lost key players Ella Bonner, Hannah Keogh, Taylor Porter and Sydney Wootten to graduation, but added four freshmen and four transfers to the 2019 squad.
NC State returns its four leading goal scorers from last season, including senior King (10 goals, 26 points). The team also brings back seven players that earned 15+ starts apiece in the 2018 campaign.
2018 RECAP
Last season the program earned a spot in the final national rankings for the third consecutive year and finished 18th in the NCAA's final RPI for its best mark in program history with an 11-7-4 ledger. It was the first time since 1990-92 that the program has landed in the final national rankings in three straight seasons.
NC State played the sixth-toughest overall schedule in the nation, including the toughest nonconference schedule in the NCAA.
The Pack hosted the NCAA First Round for the second consecutive year and reached the Sweet 16 for the second time in the last three years. Additionally, the team concluded the year with its third straight 10-win season and five wins/ties over top 20 teams.
HOME OPENER
After starting its season on the road for the first two weeks, the Pack will open its home schedule Sept. 5 when it welcomes Iowa to Dail Soccer Stadium. Kickoff is set for 7 p.m. and the match will be broadcast on the ACC Network Extra.
TICKETS
Single-match tickets are ON SALE NOW at the price of $7 for adults, $5 for youth (17 and younger) and $3 for groups of 15 or more. Children age two or younger will be admitted free.
Season tickets are also ON SALE NOW and cost $59 for adults and $25 for seniors/youth.
Players Mentioned
Defender
/ Women's Soccer
Midfielder
/ Women's Soccer
Forward
/ Women's Soccer
Forward
/ Women's Soccer
Defender
/ Women's Soccer
Midfielder
/ Women's Soccer
Midfielder
/ Women's Soccer
Midfielder
/ Women's Soccer
Goalkeeper
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