Men's Soccer . September 21, 2023

Gamecocks to Host Panthers, Retire Arndt’s Jersey

Name: vs. USC Upstate
Start: 2023-09-26T19:00
End: 2023-09-26
Location: Columbia, S.C.

South Carolina Gamecocks (2-3-1, 1-0)

vs.

Georgia State Panthers (2-2-3, 0-0-1)

Sep 22, 2023 | 7:00 pm Columbia, S.C. | Stone Stadium

TV: ESPN+

ONLINE:

Live State

COLUMBIA, S.C. – The South Carolina men’s soccer team continues Sun Belt Conference play Friday night when the Gamecocks host Georgia State at 7 p.m. In a ceremony prior to the match, South Carolina will retire the jersey of former All-American goalkeeper Charlie Arndt.

Gameday Information – #WEareCarolina
When: September 22 | 7 p.m.
Where: Columbia, S.C.
Venue: Stone Stadium (5,700)
Live Stats: StatBroadcast
Broadcast: ESPN+
Series History: South Carolina leads 11-3
Last Meeting: Georgia State 2, South Carolina 0 | Oct. 28, 2022 | Atlanta, Ga.

Taking the Pitch

This will be the 15th meeting between the Gamecocks and Panthers.
Carolina leads the series 11-3-0, but the Panthers have won the last two meetings.
GSU also won the first meeting in 1978, 2-0.
South Carolina is 10-1 all-time at home against Georgia State.
The Gamecocks have out-scored the Panthers 43-13 in the series.
Carolina has shutout Georgia State seven times, while the Gamecocks have been shutout twice (2022, 1978).

Quick Notes

South Carolina defeated Kentucky on Friday for the first time since 2016 and the first time in Lexington since 2012.
- It was their first win over a ranked opponent since 2019.
Ben Alexander was named the Sun Belt Defensive Player of the Week.
- He is the first Gamecock to win a Sun Belt POW award and the first defensive player to earn any POW honor since 2017.
The Gamecocks tallied four goals in the match against Queens, their first four-goal match since scoring four against Winthrop on Sept. 9, 2022.
Carolina also earned five assists in the match, the first time they finished with five in a match since Sept. 5, 2006, against Centenary.
This is the 45th season of South Carolina men’s soccer.
The Gamecocks have an all-time record of 523-281-83.
South Carolina finished the regular season last year leading the nation in average attendance with 2,839 fans per game.
The Gamecocks begin their second season in the Sun Belt Conference.
Carolina was picked to finish fifth in the conference by the coaches.
Peter Clement and Adam Luckhurst will serve as team captains for the season.
The roster features 10 newcomers; five transfers and five true freshmen.
They return eight starters from a season ago, including four starters in the defensive end.
The team return Adam Luckhurst who led the Gamecocks in every offensive category.

Alexander Named Defensive Player of the Week

Alexander led the Gamecocks to a win in its Sun Belt opener over No. 24 Kentucky 1-0 Friday night.
The victory was Carolina’s first over the Wildcats since 2016 and its first in Lexington since 2012.
It was also the first ranked win for the Gamecocks since 2019.
Alexander earns South Carolina’s first Sun Belt Player of the Week award and the first Defensive Player of the Week award by a Gamecock since William Pyle on Nov. 6, 2017.
In the win, Alexander finished with four saves, none bigger than the one he had in the second minute. Kentucky was awarded a penalty kick, but Alexander defended the line and denied the Wildcats the opportunity by making a diving save.
He earned two saves in each half, with one coming in the final seven minutes of the match to secure the shutout. It was his second shutout of the season.

Arndt Jersey Retirement

A goalkeeper from Silver Springs, Maryland, Charlie Arndt joined the Gamecocks in 1985.
After playing behind the 1985 national Goalkeeper of the Year Warren Lipka a freshman, Arndt immediately stepped into the starting role in 1986 and held the role for the next three seasons.
From 1986-88, Arndt started 61 of the team’s 65 matches.
Arndt holds the South Carolina program record for career goals against average at 0.70. He ranks second with 24 solo shutouts, fourth in save percentage, fifth in minutes played, and eighth in total saves.
During his junior season in 1987, Arndt led the Gamecocks to the program’s second-best season ever with a 16-2-3 record, as Carolina advanced to the second round of the NCAA Tournament for the second time in program history.
- Arndt set a program record that still stands today with a 0.42 goals against average.
In his final season at Carolina in 1988, Arndt led the team to a 14-4-4 record and their first College Cup appearance.
- He was named the national Goalkeeper of the Year and was a Second Team All-American.
- His 0.54 goals against average still ranks second all-time, trailing only his own record from the 1987 season.
- His 13 solo shutouts that season are tied for the most all-time in a single season.
- Arndt was also a standout in the classroom as he was named to the 1988 Academic All-American First Team.
Following the season, he selected ninth overall in the 1989 Major Indoor Soccer League college draft by the Cleveland Crunch.

FAN PARKING

Gamecock fans will be able to utilize free parking in the grass lot located behind the Athletics Village Parking Garage (1300 Heyward Street) or overflow parking located at the Roost (201 South Marion). Fans will also have the option to park at any of the City of Columbia metered spots located around Stone Stadium (subject to fees required through the ParkMobile app). The Athletics Village Parking Garage will not be available.

For the latest on men’s soccer, visit GamecocksOnline.com or follow the team’s social media accounts on Twitter @GamecockMSoccer, Facebook /GamecockMSoccer, and Instagram @GamecockMSoccer.

Charlie Arndt Jersey