Gamecocks Set For Showdown With No. 7 Wake Forest
Oct. 17, 2016
COLUMBIA, S.C. – South Carolina (8-3-1 overall, 3-0-1 C-USA) looks to extend an eight-match unbeaten streak on the pitch Tuesday evening as it welcomes perennial ACC power No. 7 Wake Forest (10-2-2 overall, 4-1-1 ACC) to the friendly confines of Stone Stadium. It’ll be the 33rd all-time meeting between the two storied soccer programs. Kickoff is slated for 7 p.m.
“I think Wake Forest year-in and year-out has got one of the best teams in college soccer,” said Head Coach Mark Berson. “It’s a great series. They have a great program. It’s a wonderful place to play up there in Winston-Salem (N.C.), so we enjoy our series with them. They come in here with a great win over Louisville, so it’ll be a really tough game. I think they’re very similar to us in the style that they play and the way that they play. It’ll be very interesting for these two teams to lineup and kind of see how the match goes. Hopefully our fans at home will make a big difference for us.”
The Demon Deacons lead the all-time series with the Gamecocks, 15-12-5. The two teams last met on October 27, 2012 in Winston-Salem, N.C., with Wake Forest coming away the victor 3-1. The Deacs have picked off right where they left off last season after going 17-3-2 and advancing to the Elite Eight of the NCAA Championship a year ago. Wake Forest has been able to stifle opponents defensively this season as they come into Tuesday night’s matchup with the top-ranked team goals against average in the nation at 0.48.
Tuesday night is Gamecock Club Appreciation Night at The Graveyard, and all Gamecock Club members will receive FREE admission to the match. $1 hot dogs will also be available at the concessions stand for fans.
GAMECOCK QUICK HITS
– Mark Berson is the winningest active NCAA Division I coach, 5th on the all-time NCAA D1 list
– Berson is tied for the most NCAA Tournament appearances among active DI coaches with 21
– The Gamecocks return 17 letter winners and eight starters from last season’s squad that advanced to the Second Round of the NCAA Tournament
– South Carolina, which has been a member of Conference USA since 2005, has two C-USA Tournament titles and two regular-season crowns in 11 years
-Seniors Danny Deakin and Koty Millard were both named to the 2016 Preseason All-C-USA Team
– Deakin was named to the CollegeSoccerNews 2016 Preseason All-America Second Team
– South Carolina is currently on an eight-match unbeaten streak that dates back to a 2-1 overtime win vs. Georgia Southern on Sept. 13.
– The team has outscored opponents 15-4 during the streak and pitched four shutouts
– Junior goalkeeper William Pyle was named the C-USA Defensive Player of the Week on Oct. 17 after posting back-to-back shutouts; Pyle had eight saves including five vs. UAB and a PK save in the 108th minute at FIU
– Pyle is 8-1-1 on the season with 34 saves and four shutouts; his .854 save percentage ranks 12th in the nation and his 0.582 goals against average ranks 17th in the country
– Sophomore forward Bjorn Gudjonsson was named the C-USA Offensive Player of the Week on Oct. 3 after he scored three goals in two games. He recorded his first career multi-goal game vs. High Point on Sept. 28 with two scores. Gudjonsson also scored once in a 2-1 in vs. Marshall.
– Carolina’s win over Furman on Sept. 20 was its first of the season over a ranked opponent, as the Paladins were slotted No. 18 by Soccer America
– Senior Kurtis Turner was named C-USA Offensive Player of the Week on Sept. 26 after scoring the game-winning goal at Furman and recording his second assist of the season vs. Georgia State
– The Gamecocks posted a season-high 27 shots and 11 shots on goal in their win vs. Georgia Southern
– Deakin (6G, 4A) leads the team in points with 16; senior Kevin Walker ranks second with eight (4G)
– Deakin leads the team in shots with 39; Mayr leads the team in shots on goal with 17
– South Carolina’s balanced offesnive attack features four players with double-digit SOG: Mayr (17), Deakin (16), Walker (12) and Turner (10)
– Mayr scored his first career goal as a Gamecock vs. Mercer on Aug. 30
– Mayr tallied an individual single-game season-high five SOG vs. Georgia Southern
– Deakin leads the team with four game-winning goals, which ranks eighth in the nation currently
RECORD CROWD WATCHES SOUTH CAROLINA SEASON OPENER VS. CLEMSON
A new Stone Stadium attendance record was set last Friday in the 2016 season opener vs. Clemson, as 6,892 fans attended the matchup. The mark broke the previous record of 6,157, also set vs. Clemson on Sept. 3, 2010.
SCOUTING No. 7 Wake Forest
The Demon Deacons return eight starters this season from a team that went 17-3-2 overall in 2015 and advanced to the Elite Eight of the NCAA Championship. Wake Forest has picked up right where it left off last season and is 10-2-2, fresh off a 2-1 win over No. 2 Louisville on October 15 in Winston-Salem. The Deacons have a very balanced offensive attack as nine different players have scored goals this season for them. Jacori Hayes leads the team in points (12), goals (5), shots on goal (22) and is tied for second on the team in assists (2). Ema Twumasi and Ian Harkes are tied for second on the team in goals with three. Harkes’ three goals were all game-winners, which leads the team. Sam Raben leads the team with three assists. Wake Forest is one of the best defensive teams in the nation and sports the top-ranked team GAA at 0.48. Goalkeeper Alex Ferrell is 6-1-2 in the net for the Deacs with 27 saves and five shutouts. Ferrell’s 0.529 GAA ranks No. 8 nationally.
