Aug. 23, 2012

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GAME INFORMATION
Date: Friday, August. 24, 2012
Kickoff: 7 p.m. ET
Location: Columbia, S.C.
Stadium: Stone Stadium
Series: South Carolina leads 16-6-3
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Tickets: Gamecock Ticket Office

Game Notes

Carolina Quick Hits
– South Carolina is in its 35th season of varsity soccer in 2012.
– South Carolina head coach Mark Berson, the reigning Conference USA Coach of the Year, is in his 36th season overall and his 35th season as head coach of the Gamecocks. He is assisted by former players Spencer Lewis and Joey Worthen, both in their first season.
– The Gamecocks will play 10 regular-season contests at Stone Stadium this season, including the annual Gamecock Classic, a home matchup versus intrastate rival Clemson and four Conference USA contests.
– South Carolina played two exhibitions prior to Friday’s season opener, earning a 6-3 win versus Georgia State and a 2-0 shutout against Elon.
– In exhibition play, South Carolina scored a combined eight goals, including two each from junior striker Bradlee Baladez, sophomore midfielder Braeden Troyer and junior midfielder J.P. Rafferty. Carolina posted 39 shots combined in the two matches, compared to just 23 shots by opponents (Ga. State 14; Elon 9).
– South Carolina is the reigning Conference USA Co-Regular Season champions, as both the Gamecocks and UAB finished the 2011 league campaign with a 6-1-1 record.
– Carolina made its 20th appearance all-time in the NCAA Tournament in 2011, earning hosting duties for the first round.
– Seven newcomers join 20 returning players for Carolina in 2011. Six freshmen and one sophomore transfer join Berson’s squad this fall.
– Baladez was selected to the Conference USA Preseason Team, the second-straight season the Mesquite, Texas, native has been honored with selection to the list.
– Baladez and Troyer were both named to the Preseason All Conference USA squad earlier this month published by College Sports Madness, while Baladez was tabbed a Third-Team Preseason All-American by CollegeSoccerNews.com.

South Carolina In Season Openers
– South Carolina owns a 28-5-1 all-time record in season openers. The Gamecocks have won four out of the last five season openers, with the lone loss coming last season at College of Charleston in a 3-2 decision.

NSCAA Preseason Top 25 Poll
– Carolina is receiving votes in the NSCAA Preseason Top 25 Poll, which was released earlier this month. The Gamecocks will face seven teams who were voted to the list, including South Florida (No. 6), Charlotte (8), St. John’s (15), SMU (16), Coastal Carolina (17), Northwestern (20) and UAB (21).

Conference USA Preseason Poll
– The South Carolina men’s soccer team was picked to finish first in the 2012 Conference USA Preseason Poll, while junior forward Bradlee Baladez was selected to the 13-member Men’s Soccer Preseason All-Conference Team for the second-consecutive season, as announced by the league office last week. 2012 marks the first time the Gamecocks have been selected as the preseason favorite in the league. Their previous high mark was when the team was projected to finish second in 2006. The Gamecocks were the 2011 regular season co-champs of the league last year. SMU was picked to finish second, followed by UCF, UAB, Memphis, Tulsa, Kentucky, Marshall and FIU.

Scouting College Of Charleston
– College of Charleston is led by veteran head coach Ralph Lundy in 2012. Charleston compiled a 5-8-5 record last season in facing seven eventual NCAA Tournament teams. The team returns 10 starters from last season, including senior midfielder Sean de Silva, senior defender Shawn Feguson and sophomore midfielder Troy Peterson, who were each named all-conference last season. The Cougars collected a 2-1 exhibition win vs. UCF, and suffered a 2-0 loss in exhibition play to East Tennessee State University.

College Of Charleston Series
– The Gamecocks hold a 16-6-3 upperhand in the all-time series against the College of Charleston. The team’s last met in the regular season last year in Charleston with the Cougars earning a 3-2 victory. The match was actually played two days after originally scheduled due to inclement weather associated with Hurricane Irene.

35th Season Notable
– With Friday being the season opener for the Gamecocks, we’ll take a look back at the first-ever season opener for Carolina. On Sept. 18, 1978, the Gamecocks hosted Presbyterian in the first season opener of Carolina’s celebrated history. Eddie Fuchs, whose nickname was “Snake,” led the team in that match with three goals. The Gamecocks went on to post 13 victories that season, scoring an impressive 67 goals on the year.

Up Next For The Gamecocks
– South Carolina will host the annual Gamecock Classic next weekend with Kentucky, St. John’s and Northwestern rounding out the field. The Gamecocks kick off play in the event on Friday, Aug. 31 with a contest vs. Northwestern, and conclude action vs. St. John’s on Sept. 2.