Why this NCAA soccer tournament appearance feels different for ‘underdog’ Gamecocks

A résumé highlighted with double-digit wins, a top four finish in the SEC and a No. 40 RPI gave members of the South Carolina women’s soccer program plenty of reason to relax Monday afternoon when the NCAA tournament field was revealed.

It’s just when the selection show went to its first break without announcing the Gamecocks when nerves might have started to creep in.

“Obviously I felt like we deserved it and felt like we were gonna get called,” said USC central defender Jyllissa Harris, “but there’s always a thought in the back of your head of the ‘what-ifs.’

“But I feel like our whole team, our coaches and staff, felt like we deserved it and we were kind of confident we were gonna make it.”

South Carolina is into the Big Dance for a ninth straight season after hearing its name late in Monday’s show. The Gamecocks (11-6-1) will travel to second-seeded North Carolina (12-2-3) on Saturday. Kickoff is 2 p.m. in Chapel Hill.

USC was always a firm at-large bid candidate — see the delayed announcement as pure coincidence — but the Gamecocks are somewhat in unfamiliar territory entering this year’s tournament. They’re opening on the road for the first time since 2010, a sign of an up-and-down campaign.

After a 9-2 start and a top 20 ranking, Shelley Smith’s team was 0-3-1 in a stretch before rebounding with wins over Alabama and Florida to close the regular season.

“We went though a point there where we were struggling to find the back of the net, and that can get frustrating,” said Smith, the longtime USC coach who’s now taken the Gamecocks to 14 NCAA tournaments. “I think we defended well all season, but you’re playing against great teams and great offensive teams. And we held so many teams to very few chances and it gave us a chance to win, but we just didn’t put it in at the other end.

“We had a chance to turn that around and we did that the last couple games. And that’s huge for us.”

USC beat the Crimson Tide and Gators by a combined score of 6-1 before falling to Auburn 2-1 on Nov. 2 in the SEC tournament quarterfinals.

“We obviously started off (the season) super hot,” said Harris, a first team All-SEC selection. “And then I think maybe we just kind of lost some things, didn’t do the little things right. But we had training (Sunday) night and (assistant coach Jamie) Smith said to us, ‘We just need one more chance.’

“We feel like we’re peaking, we feel like we’ve been on a really good rise the past couple games. Even though we lost to Auburn, we felt like we played really well. So we were just hoping for one more shot to go for a run because we’re very confident in how we’ve been playing.”

South Carolina’s roster is rich in NCAA tournament experience, with four fifth-year seniors remaining from the 2017 College Cup team. The Gamecocks have advanced to at least the Big Dance’s second round five straight seasons.

Saturday, though, represents a daunting test as the perennial power Tar Heels are 20-0 in NCAA first round games since the tournament expanded to 64 teams in 2001.

“Being an underdog,” Harris said, “I feel like people doubt us. And when I’m doubted or the team’s doubted, I feel like we play even better. … There’s a lot of pressure on them. They’re home, they’re the favorite. I wouldn’t want to play us if we were another team.”

USC and UNC have split their four-game history with each other, including a Tar Heel upset of the Gamecocks in the 2016 Elite Eight at Stone Stadium. North Carolina took a 2-1 result over South Carolina in an exhibition match last spring.

“I think we’ve matched up well with them in the past,” Smith said. “It’s a competitive game. We’re excited to be playing. At this point, you know you’re going to run into the best teams in the country and obviously North Carolina is one of them.”

Saturday’s winner faces the winner of Hofstra-Providence on Nov. 19.

This story was originally published November 9, 2021 at 7:55 AM with the headline "Why this NCAA soccer tournament appearance feels different for ‘underdog’ Gamecocks."