Men's Soccer To Open Spring Against Winthrop On Sunday

COLUMBIA, S.C. —- South Carolina men’s soccer will open the spring portion of its 2020-21 schedule when it plays host to Winthrop on Sunday at 2:00 p.m. ET at Stone Stadium. Carolina will look to continue its two-match winning streak from the fall and remain undefeated in its all-time series with the Eagles.
 
The last time the Gamecocks took the pitch in regular season action, Carolina had seven freshmen in the starting lineup and scored its most goals in match since 2018 in the 5-0 victory over Belmont Abbey College (DII). Although the Crusaders are a Division II program, the match did count toward win-loss records and stats will count toward season and career marks, as well. This was South Carolina’s first regular-season match against a non-Division I foe since it faced a D-II opponent in 1998 when it opened the year with an 8-0 win over Coker College.
 
The Gamecocks closed the fall outscoring their foes 9-6, including a 5-2 advantage in the second half of matches and improved to 3-2 through the first five matches for the second-straight year. The nine goals through the first five matches of a season are the most since scoring nine through the first five matches of the 2015 season. Carolina finished that year 11-8-2 (.571) on its way to the NCAA Tournament.
 
Thus far through five matches, the Gamecocks have not played past the 90-minute mark. It’s the first time since 2006 Carolina has not played an overtime match through the first five contests of a season.
 
Shining defensively, South Carolina has had three shutouts through the first five matches. That’s the most since three through the first five in 2010.

The Gamecocks (3-2) are set for 11 more regular season matches this season, seven of which will come at home. South Carolina’s opponents come into the spring with a 6-7 record as UAB (1-6) and Kentucky (5-1) were the only other schools on the schedule to play matches this past fall.
 
Conference USA announced this past fall that there will not be a conference tournament. 
 
For fans, the University of South Carolina announced changes to the ticketing process for the 2021 spring soccer season this past Thursday. Stone Stadium will continue to have a reduced seating capacity of approximately 675 seats, which was approved by the South Carolina Department of Commerce prior to the fall portion of the season and will open tickets to the general public for the spring contests.
 
Tickets are available for $5 each and must be purchased online. All tickets will be mobile and walk-up tickets are not available for sale during the spring. 
 
Fans must purchase tickets in pods of two or pods of four to adhere to our social distance policy. Tickets for the spring will be general admission. However, fans with tickets will be required to sit in sections two, three or seven. Stickers will be placed in the stands to designate available pods of two or pods of four seats.
 
To purchase tickets, visit GamecocksOnline.com/SoccerTix. To purchase a pod of two tickets, use promo code Soccer2 and to purchase a pod of four tickets, use promo code Soccer4. Additional instructions can be found on the purchase site.
 
Students will not be required to claim tickets for the spring contests. Student tickets are available on a first-come, first-serve basis at the gate beginning one hour prior to kick-off. Students must bring their CarolinaCard and enter through the Whaley Street side of the stadium. Students will receive a reward point for attending and must sit in sections eight or nine in pods of 2.
 
Concessions stands at Stone Stadium will not be open for the 2020 season. Fans will be permitted to bring in one sealed bottle of water. 
 
Game day parking is available for fans in the Heyward Street Garage located at 1300 Heyward Street. Parking is free of charge in this location and is available on all levels on a first-come, first-served basis. Handicap parking is also located at designated spaces within the Heyward Street Garage. An elevator is located within the garage for fans who will need to access the elevator to get to the ground level. 
 
South Carolina men’s soccer will be honoring legendary head coach Mark Berson throughout the spring as he’s set to retire after 43 years leading the program. He is the winningest active coach in NCAA Division I men’s soccer and one of only four coaches in Division I history to achieve 500 wins. Under his direction, South Carolina has earned 21 NCAA Tournament appearances in 42 seasons. The Gamecocks have been to four NCAA Quarterfinals, two College Cups, and one College Cup Final. They have advanced to the second round 13 times.
 
WATCH

• Fans can watch all South Carolina home matches through gamecocksonline.com. Watch links can be found at the top of the story and on the men’s soccer portion of the website under “live streaming.

WINTHROP SERIES

• Carolina has won all six meetings in the series that dates back to 1978.
• The Gamecocks are 2-0 in the series at home.
• South Carolina and Winthrop last met in 2004 in Rock Hill. Carolina won that meeting 2-0.
• Carolina has outscored the Eagles 24-2 in the series.

For more information on the Gamecocks, continue to check back with gamecocksoline.com.