Aug. 25, 2004
The South Carolina men’s soccer team will continue preparations for the 2004 season on Thursday night at 7 p.m., when it hosts eighth-ranked Virginia in an exhibition match at Stone Stadium. Admission to the match is free.
Below is the 2004 South Carolina men’s soccer outlook.
Young, talented, seasoned, enigmatic. There are certainly countless adjectives that could be used to describe the 2004 edition of the University of South Carolina men’s soccer team, but perhaps the two most appropriate would be hungry and focused.
The Gamecocks return to the pitch this fall after spending the latter portion of the 2003 campaign searching for an identity and a rhythm that finally emerged in a strong road victory over Florida International to close out the year. That finish to the year came after South Carolina ripped off eight-straight wins to begin the season and climbed into the top 10 of the national polls, before struggling offensively for much of the year, while working to regain its composure as a group of young and untested players adjusted fully to the collegiate game.
“Last year, we started out very well by winning our first eight matches,” said 27th-year head coach Mark Berson. “Then, we weren’t able to maintain that and dropped several close matches and had to work to find ourselves a little bit. I think we came out of that at the end of the year and played very well in a loss to North Carolina and then in the win at FIU.”
With the taste of a strong victory to close out 2003 and a solid off-season of workouts, the Gamecocks will have a markedly different look this fall as nine returning letterwinners from 2003 will be joined by 15 talented newcomers to make up the South Carolina roster. That combination of tested veterans and new players ready to contribute immediately this year, should put the Gamecocks in good standing when the season begins in September.
“I think that even though there are no seniors on this team, we have a solid core of juniors and sophomores that know what it takes to maintain a level of composure for the entire year,” said Berson. “That was a big stumbling block for us last year and we hope to avoid it this season.”
Even with the impending reliance on a number of new players in 2004, the goals for the South Carolina men’s soccer program remain the same as they have been for many seasons, to finish the year as one of the nation’s elite teams and make another deep run into the NCAA Tournament.
“Our team goal this year remains the same as it has been for many years,” said Berson. “We want to finish as one of the top-ranked teams in the South Region and receive an NCAA bid. We want to have the opportunity to win the NCAA Tournament, and that’s our objective each year. Playing as an independent, we do not have a conference tournament, so every game is very important to us, right out of the gate, and we need to make sure that we are ready to compete on September 1.”
GOALKEEPERS
As is the case for many teams around the country strong defensive play is the key to success and for the Gamecocks that is no different. Fortunately for South Carolina, directing that effort will be one of the nation’s premier goalkeepers in sophomore Brad Guzan.
A second-team preseason All-America selection by College Soccer News, Guzan burst onto the scene in 2003, playing every minute of every match for the Gamecocks as a rookie, posting eight shutouts in South Carolina’s nine victories and finishing the year with a 0.96 goals against average, en route earning All-South Region honors and being named to College Soccer News’ All-Freshman team.
During the summer of 2004, Guzan starred for the Chicago Fire Reserves of the Premier Developmental League, earning both All-League and All-Central Conference accolades, while leading the PDL in a number of statistical categories, including wins, goals against average and shutouts.
“When you look at our key returnees, you have to start in the back with Brad Guzan,” said Berson. ” He had a tremendous year as a freshman and had a very good summer playing in the PDL, and we think that he is by far and away the most outstanding goalkeeper in the region and one of the very best in the country.”
Joining Guzan in net this fall will be a pair of rookies in Patrick Holland and Eric Helms. The Gamecocks had hoped to get contributions from sophomore transfer Keith Borgner, but Borgner was lost for the year when he suffered a knee injury during preseason workouts.
“In goal, our backup situation was dealt a blow when Keith Borgner tore his ACL and was lost for the season,” said Berson. “We are certainly looking for some backup help behind Brad Guzan . Keith had a tremendous spring and reported back in great physical condition and it is a difficult circumstance for us to deal with. That will put more pressure on Patrick and Eric to help us in goal and we are going to have to wait and see how that position develops.”
DEFENDERS
South Carolina’s defense enters the 2004 campaign with some question marks, but will look to a solid group of returnees to lead a unit that posted eight shutouts a year ago and allowed just under a goal per match. The Gamecocks will need to get immediate contributions from some of their newcomers as the defensive backfield looks to quickly mature this fall.
Leading the returnees in the back will be junior Greg Reece and sophomore Makan Hislop. Both have gained a wealth of experience in their careers at South Carolina and will be looked to as the anchors of the unit. Also returning will be junior Josh Alcala, who will see time in both the back and midfield positions and will be looked to for large contributions this year.
The newcomers for 2004 will be led by sophomore transfer Stephen Sprague. Sprague earned Horizon Leage All-Newcomer honors at Loyola a year ago and was a NSCAA High School All-American at Lake Highlands High School in Dallas, Texas. Sprague, along with fellow transfer Cody Perrot and rookies B.J. Neilsen and Ray Paracat, should give the Gamecocks plenty of options in the back.
“In the backfield, Greg Reece is a tremendous center back for us and he has gained a lot of experience and poise and he will be counted on to anchor the back line along with Makan Hislop,” said Berson. “Makan played with the Trinidadian National U-20 team this summer and had a great year for us last year learning the American college game. Over on the left side, Josh Alcala returns and can be effective in the back and in the midfield and we look for him to have a very good year this year as he steps forward and assumes a lot of responsibility on the team. The addition of Stephen Sprague and Cody Perrot in the middle, along with B.J. Neilsen and Daniel Upchurch gives us a good mix of experience and support. Ray Paracat has also had an outstanding pre-season and will compete for a starting spot at left back.”
MIDFIELDERS
The midfield position will be a deep one for South Carolina as a number players will be looked to for contributions in that area, but the group will feature a pair of solid returnees in junior Eric Szeszycki and sophomore Ryan Leeton. Szeszycki played in all 18 matches a year ago, finishing with four points, while Leeton saw action in all but one match as a rookie in 2003. Another returnee that will also play a key role in the midfield will be Josh Alcala.
Joining that trio in the midfield will be a number of newcomers that should make an immediate impact for the Gamecocks. Included in that group will be freshmen Jose Ramos, Sebastian Lindholm, and Jeff Gross. Fellow rookies Matt King and J.D. Moon will be looked to for help at the defensive midfield position as well.
“At the midfield position, there is a good deal of experience for us,” said Berson. “That group will be led by Eric Szeszycki, Josh Alcala and Ryan Leeton, but there is a number of new, talented players that we will look to for immediate support. Jose Ramos is a goal scorer that can play both as an attacking player behind the forwards or as a wide player. Also, Sebastian Linholm is a creative midfielder that will play in the center midfield or on the left side, while Jeff Gross can also play on that side. A number of other players, including J.D. Moon, Matt King and Kevin Slupe will help us there as well.”
FORWARDS
Perhaps the most improved position for the Gamecocks in 2004 will be up front at the forward spot. The return of the team’s top-two scorers from a year ago and the infusion of a number of talented newcomers should give South Carolina added firepower on the offensive side of things this fall.
The returnees will be led by junior Ryan Deter and sophomore Ayo Akinsete. Akinsete led the team in scoring a year ago as a rookie, netting seven goals and finishing the year with 16 points, while Deter was second on the squad with12 points, finding the back of the net six times. Also back on the front line will be sophomore Mike Sambursky.
Joining that duo will be another strong group of newcomers that includes Derek Law, Phil Beene and Jose Ramos, who will also see time at the midfield position.
“I think we have strengthened ourselves in recruiting at the forward position and I also think we have strengthened ourselves with experience at that position,” said Berson. “Both Ayo Akinsete and Ryan Deter are now seasoned forwards, along with Mike Sambursky, even though they are just juniors and sophomores, they give us a real nucleus of experience and a knowledge of what it takes to score goals at the collegiat level. We need them to step up and lead us up top. Newcomers in Derek Law, Phil Beene and Jose Ramos will give us support at that position and with such a young group, the sorting out process will take some time. I like the players that we have and the talents that they bring and we certainly have players that can help us.”
SCHEDULE
South Carolina will certainly be able to find out rather quickly just where it stands in 2004, as one of the nation’s most difficult schedules awaits the Gamecocks. During the fall, South Carolina will have seven matches against teams that participated in the NCAA Tournament a year ago, four of which are part of an 10-match home schedule.
The Gamecocks host William & Mary on Sept. 1 in the season opener, before heading south to face Jacksonville on Sept. 5. The next weekend, South Carolina will return home to host the 18th annual adidas-South Carolina Gamecock Classic. In the event, the Gamecocks will face NCAA participant Portland on Sept. 10 at 7:30 p.m., and then will square off with Bucknell on Sept. 12 at 2:30 p.m.
Following the Gamecock Classic, USC will hit the road for four-straight games, including a trip to Philadelphia, Pa., for the University of Pennsylvania Tournament, where the Gamecocks will meet Pennsylvania (Sept. 17) and Princeton (Sept. 19). South Carolina will then visit 2003 NCAA participants Wake Forest (Sept. 24) and Davidson (Sept. 29), before returning home for a three-game home stand.
That stretch will include the annual match-up with in-state rival Clemson at 2 p.m. on Oct. 10. After road contests at North Carolina (Oct. 16) and College of Charleston (Oct. 20), the Gamecocks will then be home for two matches, including contests against Furman on Oct. 27 at 7 p.m., and Duke on Oct. 31 at 2 p.m. South Carolina will then wrap up the regular season by traveling to Charleston to face Coastal Carolina (Nov. 5) and Alabama A&M (Nov. 7) in the College of Charleston Tournament, before closing out the season with a home contest against Florida International on Nov. 14.
“The schedule will be very difficult,” said Berson. “We have eight teams, including the preaseason, on our schedule that appeared in the NCAA Tournament last year. We start off with three very difficult tasks with an opening exhibition against Virginia and then face William & Mary in what might be the most difficult home opener we have had in the last five to 10 years, before heading to face Jacksonville on the road. It’s a difficult schedule, but it gives us a chance to make a statement that we belong in the NCAA Tournament and it gives us a lot of opportunities to test this team.”
Despite a number of question marks and some uncertainty in various areas, the Gamecocks appear hungry to prove that the form they showed early in 2003 is the one that they will show throughout the 2004 campaign. With the excitement infused by a number of talented newcomers and the leadership in place from a tested group of veterans, South Carolina should be poised to make another run at the postseason and keep its fans entertained deep into the fall.
“During the offseason, we did a lot of work on developing the correct attitude to maintain our competitive structure throughout the season,” said Berson. “I think that is a big factor for this team. We want to make sure that we are able to maintain the level of performance, not only at the beginning of the year, but at the end of the year as well. A lot of what we have worked on will be to make sure that we are able to compete and we have worked on our team depth with recruiting and have a lot of seasoning in this group over last year. That will be a primary goal, to put those lessons to good use.”
