Aug. 19, 2011

COLUMBIA, S.C. – The No. 15 South Carolina men’s soccer team will host Elon on Saturday in the team’s lone exhibition contest of the season. The match is slated for a 7 p.m. kick off at Stone Stadium in Columbia. Live stats and free live video for the match will be available via GamecocksOnline.com. Admission to the exhibition contest is free.

South Carolina, the reigning Conference USA Tournament Champion, is set to play its first competition of 2011 at Stone Stadium on Saturday against the Phoenix. The all-time series between the two schools is tied at 1-1-0. South Carolina won the first meeting in the series, 5-1, in 2001, while Elon evened the tally with a 1-0 win during the 2003 campaign. Both games were played at Stone Stadium.

The Gamecocks return several players from last year’s NCAA Tournament squad, including senior midfielder Stephen Morrissey, who scored the game-winning penalty kick versus Tulsa to give the Gamecocks the 2010 C-USA Tournament title, and sophomore forward Bradlee Baladez, who scored the game winner versus Duke in the second round of the NCAA Tournament in overtime for the Gamecock win. The Gamecocks are led by veteran head coach Mark Berson in his 34th season at the helm of the Carolina program.

Elon is led by head coach Darren Powell in his seventh season on the sidelines for the Phoenix. Elon, who had six All-Southern Conference honorees in 2010, earned an overall record of 8-6-5 last season. The squad is led this fall by junior forward Chris Thomas, the reigning Southern Conference Player of the Year, and a 2011 MAC Hermann Trophy Watch List selection. Thomas netted 10 goals and was a first-team all-conference selection during his sophomore season in 2010.

Season tickets for men’s soccer, which includes admission to all home games, are currently on sale in the Gamecock Ticket Office. Fans can purchase tickets online at GamecocksOnline.com, or by calling 1-800-4SC-FANS. Cost for season tickets for men’s soccer is $25 for adults and $10 for youth (17 and under).