BIRMINGHAM, AL – Junior Cat Barry and 5th-year senior Jyllissa Harris were named All-SEC first-team selections, in addition to Shae O’Rourke and Gracie Falla earning spots on the All-Freshman team, as announced by the conference on Sunday.
Barry has been dominant on the pitch this season, registering five goals (four winners) and four assists (manages the team). Her 19 career goals rank her 8th in program history, and her 10 game-winning goals rank her 6th overall. Barry has scored his team’s second most points this season (14) and leads the Gamecocks. and the SEC conference on total shots (74). The First Team Conference (Regular Season) award marks the first of his career.
Harris also put his own name in the record books this year, rising to first place overall in total starts (99 as of 10/27) and second in total games played (101). to 10/27). Her 101 matches rank her 5th nationally. During his career, Jyllissa collected 15 goals, 10 assists and 40 points. Jyllissa is a four-time SEC preseason Watchlist member, four-time TopDrawer Team of the Week selection, and two-time SEC Defensive Player of the Week. This is his third first-team honour.
O’Rourke exploded for the Gamecocks as a rookie this year, leading his team in goals (6) and points (15). O’Rourke scored the first game of the season for South Carolina (against Carolina East) and hasn’t stopped since. She’s played in every game this season and was key in the 6-1 win over No. 18 Tennessee. O’Rourke scored the game’s second goal less than five minutes after coming off the bench in the 28th minute, then did the same in the second half, scoring in the 68th minute after coming on as a substitute 10 minutes earlier. For her efforts, O’Rourke was named United Soccer Coaches’ Player of the Week. This is his first SEC conference honor.
Falla has remained a constant presence for South Carolina, playing in all 18 regular season games, making starts in 17. Falla has played the full 90 minutes in the last 12 straight games and is second overall for the total number of minutes this season (1500) directly behind Harris. The freshman has been central to the Gamecocks’ 11 shutouts this year and has five shots and one on goal. This is his first SEC conference honor.
Barry, Harris, O’Rourke and Falla will join the rest of their squad as the No. 2 seeded Gamecocks take on the winner of the LSU/Ole Miss game in the SEC Tournament Quarterfinals on Tuesday, Nov. 1 at 1: 12:00 a.m. (ET). The game will be broadcast live on SEC Network from Pensacola, FL.