Nov. 15, 2004

COLUMBIA, S.C. – The 2004 NCAA Men’s Soccer Tournament was released Monday and the University of South Carolina (12-6-1) will host College of Charleston (16-5-1) in the first round on Friday night, Nov. 19. The Gamecocks earned an at-large bid into the 48-team bracket and will play in the event for 17th time in school history and the seventh time in the last 10 years.

Kickoff for the match is schedule for 7 p.m. at Stone Stadium on the USC campus. Tickets are $8 for adults and $5 for youth and college students. The NCAA does not allow complimentary admission for students at its events.

“This is well-deserved and is a very fitting reward,” Carolina head coach Mark Berson said of the team’s selection to the tournament. “This team has grown and gotten better and responded to many challenges along the way. It’s a great accomplishment to get into the tournament, and now we need to refocus and see what we can do on Friday night.”

South Carolina, an independent, completed the regular season with a 12-6-1 record after defeating No. 21 Florida International on Sunday. The Gamecocks are back in the NCAA field after a one-year hiatus. USC owns a 4-3 record against teams in this year’s field, including a win on the road at top-seeded Wake Forest.

College of Charleston made the NCAA Tournament as an automatic qualifier after winning the Southern Conference Tournament over the weekend. The Cougars own 16-5-1 record entering Friday night’s tilt.

The Gamecocks and the Cougars played earlier this season On Oct. 20 in Charleston with the Cougars winning the match, 3-0. South Carolina leads the all-time series 15-3-3, including a 12-1-1 mark in Columbia.

The winner of Friday’s match will advance to play at No. 8 seed North Carolina-Greensboro in the second round on Tuesday, Nov. 23.

A full bracket can be found at www.NCAASports.com.