Sept. 8, 2004
COLUMBIA, S.C. –
The Unviersity of South Carolina men’s soccer team is set to host the 18th annual adidas/South Carolina Classic this weekend at Stone Stadium. College of Charleston, Bucknell and Portland visit Columbia for the event, which kicks off on Friday, Sept. 10, at 5 p.m. when College of Charleston and Bucknell meet in the opener.
South Carolina will take on Portland in the nightcap on Friday, starting at 7:30 p.m. Action continues on Sunday, Sept. 12, when College of Charleston and Portland play at Noon. South Carolina faces Bucknell in the finale at 2:30 p.m.
Admission to all Gamecock soccer matches is $5 for adults and $2 for children. Families (two adults, two children) are admitted for $10. Season tickets are $40 for adults and $30 for senior citizens. A family ticket packet (two adults, two children) is available for $80. Season tickets can be purchased through the USC Ticket Office at 1-800-4SC-FANS or 803-777-4274, Ticket Master at 803-783-2222, or by logging on to ticketmaster.com.
About the Gamecocks
South Carolina brings a 2-0 record into the weekend. The Gamecocks won their eighth straight home opener, 2-1, over William and Mary on Sept. 1, and on Sept. 4, Carolina recorded its first shutout of the season with a 2-0 decision on the road at Winthrop. USC sits just outside of the top 25. The Gamecocks are receiving votes in this week’s adidas/NSCAA Top 25 Coaches’ Poll.
Freshman Sebastian Lindhom is currently leading the team with three points. Lindholm scored the game-winning goal against the Tribe and assisted on another at Winthrop. Sophomore Ayo Akinsete, who led the Gamecocks in scoring last seasons, netted his first goal of the year against the Eagles, and junior Eric Szeszycki successfully converted a penalty kick attempt for his first goal of the campaign. Brad Guzan has played all 180 minutes in goal and sports a 0.50 goals-against average.
The Gamecocks return seven starters and nine letterwinners from the 2003 team, which finished with a 9-7-2 record. In addition, head coach Mark Berson welcomes a class of 15 talented newcomers into the fold in 2004.
Akinsete led the team in scoring as a freshman in 2003 by totaling 16 points on seven goals and a pair of assists. Junior Ryan Deter finished as the team’s second leading scorer with 12 points on six goals a year ago.
Guzan, who was named All-South Region as a freshman, played all 1,680 minutes in goal in 2003 and recorded eight shutouts. He also had an 0.96 goals-against average.
South Carolina’s Classic History
Of the 17 years South Carolina has hosted its annual Classic, the Gamecocks have won the event 13 times. Carolina boasts an impressive all-time record of 28-4-2 in their home tournament. USC is coming off back-to-back Classic titles in both 2002 and 2003. Carolina won the inaugural tournament in 1987, and after failing to win the event for two consecutive years, the Gamecocks captured seven straight titles from 1993 to 1999. The Gamecocks also finished first in 1990 and 1991.
A Look at the Field
College of Charleston: College of Charleston will be competing in the adidas/South Carolina Classic for the eighth straight season. The Cougars are 1-1 in 2004 with a 2-1 overtime victory against Iona and a 4-0 loss at Northwestern.
Under the guidance of head coach Ralph Lundy, Charleston posted a record of 13-4-3 to finish second in the Southern Conference in 2003. The Cougars welcome back 14 letterwinners from a year ago and seven starters from a squad that posted a perfect 7-0-1 record at home and a 4-2-1 mark on the road.
The Gamecocks and Cougars will play a regular season match on Oct. 20 in Charleston, S.C. USC will also participate in the Cougars’ home tournament Nov. 5 and 7 in Charleston.
Portland: The Pilots are 2-0 and ranked as high No. 16 in this week’s national polls (Soccer America). Portland opened the season on Sept. 4 with a 4-0 victory over Sacramento in its own Nike Invitational and followed up with a 1-0 overtime win over UAB on Sept. 6. Bucknell is 0-0-1 entering the weekend.
Portland head coach Bill Irwin is in his second year at the helm after posting a 10-9-1 record in 2003. The Pilots return 13 letterwinners from a year ago and nine starters from a squad that reached the second round of the NCAA Tournament.
Bucknell: The Bison, who were picked to win Patriot League in 2004, kicked off their season by tying Hartwick 1-1 on Sept. 4.
Bucknell begins its sixth season under head coach Brendan Nash. Nash has compiled a 48-40-7 record in his previous five years. The Bison finished first in the Patriot League a year ago, posting a perfect 5-0-2 record in conference play. Bucknell returns 17 letterwinners for its league-champion team, including eight starters.
adidas-South Carolina Gamecock Classic
All-Time Champions
1987 South Carolina 2-0-0
1988 Stanford* 1-0-1
1989 Howard* 2-0-0
1990 South Carolina 2-0-0
1991 South Carolina 2-0-0
1992 Brown 2-0-0
1993 South Carolina 2-0-0
1994 South Carolina 2-0-0
1995 South Carolina 2-0-0
1996 South Carolina 2-0-0
1997 South Carolina 2-0-0
1998 South Carolina 2-0-0
1999 South Carolina 2-0-0
2000 Charleston 2-0-0
2001 Maryland 2-0-0
2002 South Carolina 2-0-0
2003 South Carolina 2-0-0
