COLUMBIA, S.C. – The University of Florida soccer team was shutout 2-0 by South Carolina in NCAA Quarterfinal action Friday in front of 2,652 at the Eugene E. Stone III Stadium.
 
The win sends South Carolina to its first NCAA semifinal appearance. The Gamecocks were No. 1 regional seeds each of the last three seasons.
 
Next up, South Carolina faces the tournament's top seed, Stanford, next Friday in Orlando at the Orlando City Stadium. Stanford was a 4-0 winner over Penn State earlier today. This is the fourth appearance for the Southeastern Conference program in NCAA women's soccer 36-year history (Florida: 1998, 2001; Texas A&M 2014).


 
How the Goals Were Scored:
The first corner kick of the match gave the Gamecocks the lead in the 13^th minute. Lindsey Lane kick traveled to the far post. Grace Fisk headed the ball down. It took a bounce and then scored just inside the post.
 
Lane added a goal in the 77^th minute. Breukele Woodard's pass found Lane with room in the box, where she scored from 14 yards.
 
For the match, Florida outshout USC 13-7, but the Gamecocks was good on their two shots on goal for the difference in the match.
 
South Carolina is one of two programs competing in this weekend's NCAA Quarterfinal action that was unscored upon in the first four NCAA rounds. The Gamecocks' 16 shutouts is tied for fourth in 2017 NCAA Division I play.
 

??????@BeckyBurleigh, @gabby_seiler and @parkerrRoberts reflect on this special season, the 2017 senior class, and more. ???? pic.twitter.com/xqlqg3ARKl

— Gators Soccer (@GatorsSoccer) November 25, 2017

What the Gators Said:
"Congratulations to South Carolina. That's who I'll be rooting for next week in the College Cup.
 
"It was a really good game – just what we expected. We were disappointed to give up that goal on the corner, as I thought we had that covered. It was an outstanding effort by [Grace] Fisk to get over us for the header. Even after that, I thought we were in it. In fact, I thought we were still going to win it at that point. The second goal was a little bit of a back breaker, but what ran through my mind at that point is 'This is going to be a heck of a story.' Unfortunately, we couldn't get the one [goal] to get the flow going and they closed it out with a shut out." – Florida Head Coach Becky Burleigh

On South Carolina's defensive effort:
"We had a lot of team blocked shots, especially clogging up the middle. We weren't as effective as we probably needed to be to break that down. You have to give credit to what South Carolina did defensively. I thought we played well, to be honest with you. I thought we moved the ball well and controlled the majority of the match. But in our sport, that's not enough. We didn't score tonight and I credit South Carolina for that." – Florida Head Coach Becky Burleigh
 
What can you say about this senior class?
"Amazing. It is so crazy the journey this team has had this year. It seems like we've been through it all. It was a really emotional year for a lot of reasons, but this senior class led us the whole way. On the field, off the field, the seniors led. At the end, Gabby [Seiler] was the only one on the field and you saw that performance [tonight]. She played like every single minute mattered. What an example that is for everyone else. The players who were on the bench – Cassie [Owens] and KC [Kristen Cardano] couldn't play but still they gave everything they could from the bench. And Jessie [Holmes]. I think Jessie is a once-in-a-career type player you get that brings positivity, has the ability to uplift and shows hard work every single day.
 
"This is a class we will really, really miss. If you are just looking at it on paper, some might not recognize the contributions of this class, but it is obvious they had great leadership that has taken us this far, especially considering the adversity we faced." – Florida Head Coach Becky Burleigh
 
What did your time at Florida mean to you?
"It meant everything to me. I'm just lucky to be coached by Becky. There has been something special about every team I've been on since I've been here. This year especially it was really special because we got to play for something bigger than ourselves. Becky's parents passing away and us being able to be there for her and rise up for her. The season was for her." – senior captain Gabby Seiler

On her leadership
"Gabby our only captain this season, which is rare for us [to have one captain]. Her leadership just got better and better as the year went on. In this stretch from the SEC Tournament into the NCAA Tournament, she was just amazing. Last week, we talked about the system change we made in the middle of the game [at Seiler's direction on the field]. I completely trust her and I know she has what's best for this team in the forefront of her mind.

"Leaders like this just don't come around that often. I'm sad Gabby's leaving and the rest of the seniors aren't going to be here. This is the end of this team being a team. This group is really, really special and will always be special to me regardless what the scoreboard says or how far we got. It was a very touching season for me." – Florida Head Coach Becky Burleigh

Records:
Florida: 17-7, 7-3 SEC
USC: 19-2-1, 9-0-1 SEC
 

The #Secnetwork recaps our loss to the Gamecocks in the #Elite8 of the #NCAASoccer Tournament. ????? #GoGators #RiseUp pic.twitter.com/Kk8B4xXy5r

— Gators Soccer (@GatorsSoccer) November 25, 2017

 
Rankings:
Florida ranks No. 16 on the United Soccer Coaches poll and South Carolina is No. 5.
 
NCAA Regional No. 3 seed Florida (17-7-0, 7-3 SEC) at NCAA Regional No. 1 seed South Carolina (19-2-1, 9-0-1 SEC)
Stadium: Eugene E. Stone III Stadium (2,652)
Weather: 54 degrees, winds calm, 50% humidity
 

Goals by Period	1	2			Final
Florida	0	0			0
South Carolina	1	1			2

 
Scoring Summary:

No.	Time	Team	Goal Scorer	Assist	Description
1.	12:23	USC	Grace Fisk	Lindsey Lane	Header at far post of corner kick
2.	76:51	USC	Lindsey Lane	Breukele Woodard	14 yard shot

 
Shots: Florida 13, South Carolina 7
Saves: Florida 0 (Kaylan Marckese 0), South Carolina 4 (Mikayla Krzeczowski 4)