SEC East Champion Georgia Heads to South Carolina

RV Georgia (8-3-4, 4-2-2 SEC) at No. 17 South Carolina (10-1-5, 4-0-4 SEC)
Date: Sunday, Oct. 22
Time: 2 p.m. EDT
Location: Columbia, S.C.
Site: Eugene E. Stone III Stadium (5,700)

MEDIA INFORMATION
TV / Stream: SEC Network+
Live Stats: StatBroadcast
X: @UGASoccer
Instagram: @UGASoccer

Social Media: For complete information on Georgia soccer, follow the team on its social media channels via @UGASoccer on X, Facebook, and Instagram.

INSIDE THE SERIES
Overall: Georgia leads 16-12-6
In Athens: Georgia leads 10-4-0
In Columbia: South Carolina leads 5-4-5
Neutral: South Carolina leads 3-2-1
Last Meeting: T, 1-1 (Nov. 3, 2022 – Pensacola, Fla.)
Current Streak: T1
GF / GA: 40 / 38

QUICK KICKS
One More for the Road
SEC East champion Georgia closes divisional play and its regular season road schedule with a Sunday matinee at rival South Carolina. Two of the SEC's top three teams, the Bulldogs and Gamecocks both enter Sunday's match off a win, with Georgia topping Kentucky and South Carolina shutting out Texas A&M. This is the 35th all-time meeting between the programs, trailing only Florida for the most-played opponent in Georgia program history.

Last season, South Carolina used a late goal to win, 1-0, in Athens before the teams tied at one in the SEC Tournament semifinals, with the Gamecocks advancing, 4-1, on penalties. In recent years, the series has been known for close finishes, with 10 of the last 11 meetings ending in a tie or one-goal victory, including three 110-minute matches.

Beasts of the East
With its win over Kentucky, Georgia clinched its first SEC East championship in program history, earning a top-two bye in the SEC Tournament and guaranteeing an opponent on short rest in Pensacola. The Bulldogs, currently sitting third in the SEC overall standings, are also looking to match their highest overall finish in history, with both the 2007 and 2008 teams placing second. In addition to their SEC exploits, the Bulldogs were ranked No. 16 in the NCAA Tournament committee's Top 16 reveal Thursday evening.

Dawgs > Cats
Georgia needed only one goal to earn its first division title against Kentucky on Thursday evening. Reigning SEC Offensive Player of the Week Summer Denigan scored her team-leading fifth goal of the season against her home-state team, depositing a Hannah White assist in the 21st minute. The Bulldogs' defense put up one of its top performances of the season, allowing only seven shots (two SOG), while goalkeeper Jordan Brown made a critical late save and caught a last-second corner kick.

Denigan Honored
For her winning goal at Tennessee, Summer Denigan was named SEC Offensive Player of the Week. She was second Bulldog to receive an SEC honor this season, following Caroline Smith earning Freshman of the Week on Aug. 28. Denigan is the first Georgia player to receiver OPOW honors since Dasia Torbert last season against Texas A&M.

Freshman Phenoms
Three members of the Georgia freshmen class were recognized by Top Drawer Soccer on its 2023 midseason top-100 list. Defender Kiera Staude was ranked No. 10 overall, the highest of any SEC first-year player. Staude has started all 13 matches on the backline, helping the Bulldogs post five shutouts. Midfielder Christian Brathwaite slotted at No. 70, while fellow midfielder Devon Winters snuck in at No. 94.

Dawg Bites

Georgia remained unranked in this week's United Soccer Coaches and Top Drawer Soccer polls, but did still receive one vote in the coaches' rankings. In the NCAA RPI rankings, Georgia moved up to 18th and ranks fourth among SEC schools. Nine past and future 2023 opponents currently rank in the top 50.
Georgia is looking for wins over ranked opponents in consecutive games for the first time since beating No. 15 Florida and No. 12 South Carolina in 2007.
Redshirt senior midfielder Nicole Vernis is tied for third in the SEC in assists with five. In conference games alone, she ranks third in goals (3) and fifth in points (7).
Junior defender Jessie Dunn remains the iron woman among Georgia field players, tallying 90 minutes in 13 matches this season. Dunn has played a full 90 in 21 of her last 24 matches and now leads the team in consecutive starts at 23 following Ellie Gilbert's season-ending knee injury against Tennessee.
With the Tennessee win, Georgia improved to 6-1 this season when scoring twice, while the Kentucky victory improved it to 6-2 in one-score matches. Notably, the Bulldogs have matched or been outshot by its opponent in each of its three of its four SEC victories.
Through 15 matches, 11 different Bulldogs have scored a goal. Last year, the team tied a program record with 16 different scorers.
Graduate midfielder Mallie McKenzie is now tied for fourth in program history with 21 assists, putting her three behind all-time leader Suzannah Weathersbee (24). She is also fourth all-time in appearances with 90 matches, putting her on pace to break former teammate Abby Boyan's program record of 93.
Goalkeeper Jordan Brown has now entered the program's top 10 in saves, shutouts, starts, and minutes, while currently holding the lowest goals against average in program history (0.84).

Up Next
Georgia closes its 2023 regular season against Auburn on Thursday, Oct. 26 at the Turner Soccer Complex. Kickoff is set for 6 p.m. and the match will stream live on SEC Network+.

Next Event

Players Mentioned

Abby Boyan

Christian Brathwaite

Jordan Brown

Summer Denigan

Jessie Dunn

Ellie Gilbert

Mallie McKenzie

Caroline Smith

Kiera Staude

Dasia Torbert

Nicole Vernis

Hannah White

Devon Winters