Aug. 25, 2011
| Coach Berson |
The University of South Carolina men’s soccer team is set to travel to College of Charleston on Friday for the 2011 season opener for both schools. The match, set to kick off at 6 p.m. at the Patriots Point Athletic Complex in Charleston, will be nationally-televised as the NSCAA Game of the Week on FOX Soccer Channel.
GAME INFORMATION
South Carolina at College Of Charleston
Date: Friday, August 26, 2011
Kick Off: 6 p.m. ET
Location: Charleston, S.C.
Stadium: Patriots Point Athletic Complex
Series: South Carolina leads, 16-5-3
Television: Fox Soccer Channel
Talent: Dean Linke (pxp), Keith Tabatznik (color),
Charlie Slagle (sideline)
Live Stats: GamecocksOnline.com
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), enters the 2011 season ranked as the winningest active coach in Division I men’s soccer with 441 career wins.
– South Carolina holds one of the youngest rosters in its recent history, with 10 upperclassmen, compared to 19 combined freshmen and sophomores.
– South Carolina is the reigning Conference USA Tournament Champions after winning the event last November. The Gamecocks defeated Tulsa, 1-0, in double-overtime on a penalty kick by Stephen Morrissey.
– Carolina advanced to the Round of 16 in last year’s NCAA Tournament. Carolina earned the No. 7 national seed and a first-round bye. In its first match of the tournament, South Carolina earned a 1-0 overtime win over Duke when then-freshman Bradlee Baladez scored a goal in the 100th minute for the Gamecock win.
– Sophomore forward Bradlee Baladez returns as Carolina’s top scorer from last season. Baladez tallied six goals, including five game winners during his freshman campaign.
– Freshman midfielder Emmett Lunceford was named one of CollegeSoccerNews.com’s Top 150 College Recruits for 2011.
– Redshirt-sophomore goalkeeper Alex Long looks to make his first-career college start on Friday at College of Charleston.
– Sophomore forward Bradlee Baladez was named one of Top Drawer Soccer’s Preseason Top 100 Players for 2011.
South Carolina In Season Openers
– South Carolina owns a 28-4-1 all-time record in season openers, including a streak of victories in four consecutive season openers dating back to the 2007 campaign. The Gamecocks will open their season on the road on Friday for the first time since 2007 when Carolina earned a 1-0 overtime win at Clemson.
NSCAA Preseason Top 25 Poll
– The South Carolina men’s soccer team enters the 2011 season ranked No. 15 according to the NSCAA (National Soccer Coaches Association of America) Preseason Top 25 Poll that was released earlier this month. The Gamecocks are set to face four teams that are also ranked in the preseason list, including No. 2 UNC, No. 5 SMU, No. 11 Brown and No. 20 Dartmouth. Additionally, Carolina is set to face four teams that are receiving votes just outside of the top 25, including Central Florida, Wake Forest, Charlotte and Tulsa.
Scouting College Of Charleston
– The Cougars are led by Ralph Lundy in his 25th season at College of Charleston. The squad defeated Presbyterian, 3-0, and tied Mercer, 0-0, in exhibition play this season. The Cougars were picked to finish third in the SoCon in 2011 while the team had four players – forward Andy Craven, midfielder Sean de Silva, defender Shawn Ferguson and goalkeeper Kees Heemskerk – named to the Preseason All-Conference Team.
Preseason Predictions
– The South Carolina men’s soccer team was picked to finish fourth in the 2011 Conference USA Preseason Poll, released earlier this month. Sophomore midfielder Bradlee Baladez was also selected to the 12-man 2011 C-USA Men’s Soccer Preseason All-Conference Team. Both the preseason team and poll are selected by the league’s men’s soccer coaches. SMU was picked to win Conference USA, followed by UCF in second and Tulsa in third. Following the Gamecocks in fourth was Kentucky, UAB, Marshall, FIU and Memphis. Baladez returns for his sophomore campaign after a freshman season in 2010 that saw the Dallas, Texas, native score six goals, including five game winners. Baladez, a 2010 C-USA All-Freshman Team and Third Team selection, started all 22 games for Carolina, posting 63 shots, last season.
ESPN Rise High School All-Americans
– Three freshman members of the South Carolina men’s soccer team were named ESPN Rise Spring High School All-Americans earlier this month. John (Snoopy) Davidson (Forward/Rome, Ga./Rome High School), was named to the first team, while Braeden Troyer (Midfield/Columbia, SC/Hammond School) and Robert Beebe (Goalkeeper/Summerville, SC/Pinewood Preparatory School) were both named to the second team. The trio is part of 36 high school student-athletes named to the list. Davidson scored 28 goals and contributed 12 assists to earn Rome News-Times Player of the Year honors, while also becoming the first player to have his jersey retired at Rome High School in 2010. Davidson was named the 2011 Georgia Boys Gatorade Player of the Year. Beebe was named the 2011 South Carolina Boys Gatorade Player of the Year, while also earning SCISA State High School Player of the Year accolades. Troyer joins the Gamecocks after earning SCISA Region I Player of the Year accolades, while also earning all-state and all-area honors as a senior.
College Of Charleston Series
– The Gamecocks hold a 16-5-3 upperhand in the all-time series against the College of Charleston. The team’s last met in the regular season in Sept. 2008 in Charleston. The Gamecocks won that contest 4-0.
Up Next For The Gamecocks
– South Carolina travels to face Clemson in non-conference action next Friday, Sept. 6. The Gamecocks have won four-straight matches against the Tigers, including a 2-0 win in the 2010 season opener.
