COLUMBIA, S.C. – The South Carolina men’s soccer team (5-3-1) is set to host Florida International (1-5-2) on Saturday in its Conference USA opener at Stone Stadium. The match will begin at 7 p.m. South Carolina has one four of its last five games heading into league action. The Gamecocks hold a dominant 8-0-1 record in the all-time series between the two schools, including a 4-0-1 mark at Stone Stadium. Fans who purchased a ticket for the South Carolina versus Clemson contest earlier this season can use their ticket for admission to the FIU contest on Saturday.

QUICK TAKES
• South Carolina has won four of its last five games, all four shutout victories.
• Sophomore forward Sam Arthur leads the Gamecocks with nine goals in nine games this season.
• Freshman midfielder David MacVane collected three assists in Carolina’s shutout victory against Davidson.
• Senior striker Kevan Hawkins tallied the first multi-goal performance of his career against Charleston on Sept. 19. Hawkins has two goals on nine shots thus far in 2008.
• Sophomore goalkeeper Jimmy Maurer has collected five shutouts this season, matching his total from a year ago.

SCOUTING THE GOLDEN PANTHERS
Florida International defeated the Eagles of Florida Gulf Coast 1-0 last weekend, picking up their first win of the season. In the win, freshman keeper Jesse Fullerton notched seven saves on his way to his first career shutout. Senior defender Corey Kendall provided the offense, scoring his first goal of the season and just the second of his career. Junior Juan Guerra leads the Golden Panthers with four goals on the year, while Fullerton has played the bulk of FIU’s minutes in net.