Nov. 22, 2016

NSCAA Regional Coaching Staff of the Year Honorees

COLUMBIA, S.C. ââ’¬” South Carolina women’s soccer collected more postseason hardware this week, as the Gamecocks earned NSCAA South Regional Coaching Staff of the Year honors. The announcement marks the third NSCAA Regional Award for head coach Shelley Smith and Carolina, which received the accolade in 2009 and 2011.

South Carolina, one of eight Division I schools to be recognized, will be honored at the College Coaches Awards Reception on Jan. 12, 2017, at the JW Marriott Los Angeles in conjunction with the 2017 NSCAA Convention. The Gamecocks and the other seven schools are now on the ballot for NSCAA National Staff of the Year consideration along with the coaching staff from any school that advances to the College Cup.

Voting for the NSCAA National Staff of the Year will begin on Nov. 29 and end on Dec. 6. The NSCAA will announce the Women’s National Staff of the Year on Dec. 20.

The Gamecocks (21-1-1), who face second-seeded North Carolina (16-3-4) Friday in the NCAA Elite Eight, have set a single-season program record with 21 wins this season. South Carolina was the only Division I school to finish the regular season undefeated, and it captured the 2016 SEC Regular-Season Title and posted an 11-0-0 mark in league play. The third-ranked Gamecocks have spent the last nine weeks ranked in the top five of the NSCAA Coaches’ Poll, and South Carolina earned the school’s first NCAA Tournament No. 1 seed earlier this month.

Kickoff between the Gamecocks and Tar Heels Friday at Stone Stadium is scheduled for 6 p.m. ET, and the match can be seen on SEC Network+. South Carolina, which is 2-1-0 all-time in the series, knocked off North Carolina in the third round of the 2014 NCAA Tournament to advance to the quarterfinals for the first time in program history.