Oct. 11, 2011
The South Carolina men’s soccer team (5-4-1, 3-0-0 C-USA) begins a three-game homestand when it hosts SMU (6-4-1, 1-1-1 C-USA) on Wednesday at Stone Stadium at 7 p.m. ET. The match will be South Carolina’s first in the last eight days, after last Saturday’s UCF contest was postponed due to inclement weather. Live stats and free live video for the match will be available via GamecocksOnline.com.
GAME INFORMATION
Date: Wednesday, October 12, 2011
Kick Off: 7 p.m. ET
Location: Columbia, S.C.
Stadium: Stone Stadium
Series: Series is tied, 6-6-2
Live Stats: GamecocksOnline.com
Free Live Video: GamecocksOnline.com
Game Updates: South Carolina men’s soccer Facebook and Twitter (@GamecockMSoccer)
Carolina Quick Hits
– South Carolina is in its 34th season of varsity soccer in 2011.
– The Gamecocks are led by head coach Mark Berson in his 34th season at the helm of the program. He is assisted by Bert Molinary in his eighth season and Mike Babst in his fifth.
– Berson, in his 35th season overall coaching (spent one season as the head coach at The Citadel), entered the 2011 season ranked as the winningest active coach in Division I men’s soccer with 441 career wins.
– South Carolina begins a three-game homestand with Wednesday’s contest vs. SMU.
– Carolina’s match at UCF last Saturday was postponed due to high rain levels in the Orlando area. The match will be rescheduled, with that date still to be determined.
– South Carolina is off to its best start to a Conference USA season with a 3-0-0 mark after earning a road win at Memphis, a home victory over Tulsa and most recently a 1-0 shutout win at UAB on Oct. 4.
– Sophomore forward Bradlee Baladez has netted the last two game-winners for Carolina, with a tally vs. Tulsa and at UAB. His goal at UAB was described as a world class tally, hitting a one-time volley into the upper corner of the net for the score.
– Marshall sits atop Conference USA with 10 points on a 3-0-1 record. South Carolina is currently second with nine points, followed by UCF with six.
– Gamecock netminder Alex Long collected the first shutout of his career at UAB on Oct. 4. While he didn’t register a save in the match, Long and the South Carolina defensive line of Danny Cates, Trevor Hubbard, Kevin Stam and Eric Martinez battled against 10 shots and 14 UAB corner kicks in the match.
– In his press conference on Oct. 5, South Carolina head coach Mark Berson said that sophomore midfielder Chipper Root, who has been battling an ankle injury, and freshman forward Asa Kryst, who has a quad pull, will be evaluated on a game-by-game basis.
Scouting SMU
– SMU enters Wednesday’s contest after most recently earning a 1-1 tie at C-USA leader Marshall last Saturday. The Mustangs currently own a 4-0-1 undefeated record in away contests in 2011. The team is paced by senior Arthur Ivo, the C-USA Preseason Offensive Player of the Year, with three goals and seven assists on the year for 13 points. Sophomore Juan Castillo, also on the Preseason All-Conference Team, has also contributed three goals and three assists this fall. Sophomore goalkeeper Jaime Ibarra has played the majority of time in net for for the Mustangs with 928 minutes played. Ibarra enters Wednesday’s match with 43 saves and a 0.97 goals against average, which ranks third in the league.
Series History
– The all-time series between South Carolina and SMU is tied at 6-6-2. The team’s split a pair of contests last season, with SMU collecting a 3-1 win in the regular season meeting in early October, before South Carolina earned a 2-1 win in the semifinals of the Conference USA Tournament. The Gamecocks earned a 3-2 overtime win during the last contest between the two squads at Stone Stadium during the 2009 season.
Last Year vs. SMU
– SMU collected a 3-1 win during the regular season over South Carolina. Senior forward Blake Brettschneider scored South Carolina’s goal in the match. SMU held a 16-13 advantage in shots, while both teams managed six shots on goal in the match. Arthur Ivo tallied SMU’s first goal, while midfielder Josue Soto collected the game winner and midfielder Zach Barnes added SMU’s third tally in the 90th minute.
– South Carolina continued its impressive late-season run during the C-USA Tournament with a 2-1 win over SMU in the semifinals. Senior defender Will Traynor’s header goal at 49:50 propelled the fourth-seeded Gamecocks past top-seeded and No. 5-ranked SMU by a 2-1 score to advance to the C-USA Finals.
Up Next For South Carolina
– South Carolina continues league play when it hosts Marshall on Oct. 15 in a 7 p.m. match at Stone Stadium. Marshall currently leads Conference USA with 10 points on the year.
