Oct. 31, 2011
The South Carolina men’s soccer team (8-6-5, 5-1-0 C-USA) travels to Orlando, Fla., for its rescheduled match versus No. 9 UCF (9-3-3, 3-2-1 C-USA) on Tuesday. The match will be played at 4 p.m., with live stats available via GamecocksOnline.com, and live video available for a fee via UCFAthletics.com. The Oct. 1, match between the two teams was postponed due to heavy rains in Orlando that made the field unplayable.
South Carolina head coach Mark Berson aims for his 450th career victory on Tuesday versus the Knights.
GAME INFORMATION
Date: Tuesday, November 1, 2011
Kick Off: 4 p.m. ET
Location: Orlando, Fla.
Stadium: UCF Track and Soccer Complex
Series: South Carolina leads, 5-0-4
Live Stats: GamecocksOnline.com
Video: www.ucfathletics.com for a fee
Game Updates: South Carolina men’s soccer Facebook and Twitter (@GamecockMSoccer)
Carolina Quick Hits
– South Carolina head coach Mark Berson aim’s for his 450th career victory on Tuesday vs. UNC. Berson aims to be the eighth Division I coach all-time to reach the 450-win milestone.
– With two conference games left to play, South Carolina enters Tuesday’s contest in second place in the Conference USA standings with 15 points on a 5-1-0 record. UAB leads the league with 16 points, however the Blazers have just one more C-USA contest on Friday.
– The Gamecocks have won three of their last four matches entering Tuesday’s contest.
– Tuesday’s match marks the first for South Carolina in one week. The Gamecocks suffered a 4-0 non-conference loss to No. 4 North Carolina in Columbia last Tuesday.
– The Gamecocks hold an NCAA RPI ranking of No. 25 in the most updated standings.
Scouting UCF
UCF aims for its 10th win of the season on Tuesday vs. South Carolina. The Knights will be playing their third contest in less than a week in the match. McKauly Tulloch paces the squad with 12 goals and three assists on the year for 27 points. Nik Robson has added eight goals and A.J. Nelson and Ben Hunt have both contributed two. Shawn Doyle has seen the majority of time in net for the Knights. He enters Tuesday’s contest with a 0.83 goals against average.
Baladez In Conference USA Play
– Sophomore forward Bradlee Baladez has scored a goal in all six of South Carolina’s C-USA games this season. The Dallas, Texas, native tallied the game winners versus Tulsa and UAB.
Series History
– South Carolina owns a 5-0-4 upperhand in the all-time series against UCF, including a 3-0-1 mark in games played in Orlando. South Carolina earned a 3-1 win during the 2009 season at the UCF Track and Soccer Complex behind two penalty kick within a five minute span during the opening half.
Last Year vs. UCF
– The 20th-ranked South Carolina men’s soccer team battled through 90 minutes of regulation and two 10 minute overtime sessions, earning a 1-1 tie with Conference USA foe No. 22 UCF on Oct 16, 2011, at Stone Stadium. Then-freshman midfielder Bradlee Baladez scored South Carolina’s goal, his then-team leading fifth tally of the season. South Carolina was led by then-senior midfielder Blake Brettschneider with five shots and one assist, while Baladez contributed three shots, and then-junior midfielder Stephen Morrissey added two shots and one assist. Nik Robson led the Knights with six shots, including three on frame, while Yaron Bacher contributed six shots, including two on frame. Ben Hunt scored UCF’s goal, his third of the season. South Carolina goalkeeper Jimmy Maurer collected a game-best six saves in net for Carolina, while UCF counterpart Shawn Doyle earned two saves. The contest proved physical with UCF holding a slight 18-16 advantage in fouls. The Knights drew three yellow cards, against just one by Carolina in the match. UCF held an 8-2 advantage in shots in the first half, but South Carolina finished the opening 45 minutes of action with a 1-0 lead.
Up Next For South Carolina
– The Gamecocks conclude the regular season on Friday when they host Kentucky at 7 p.m. at Stone Stadium. The match will serve as Senior Night for South Carolina. Senior Night festivities will begin at approximately 6:50 p.m.
