Oct. 19, 2004

COLUMBIA, S.C. – The No. 15 South Carolina men’s soccer team (8-3-1) is set to play twice this week on the road, on Wednesday, Oct. 20, at College of Charleston (9-4-0) and on Saturday, Oct. 23, at UNC-Wilmington. Wednesday’s match with the Cougars kicks off at 6 p.m. at Patriot’s Point in Mt. Pleasant. The Gamecocks and Seahawks will battle it out on Saturday at UNCW Soccer Stadium, beginning at 7 p.m.

USC is looking to rebound from a scoring drought it endured last week. The Gamecocks were shut out for the first time in 2004 on Oct. 13 as they dropped a 1-0 match to Charlotte in Columbia. South Carolina’s offensive woes continued on Oct. 16 at North Carolina. The Gamecocks fell to the Tar Heels, 2-0, in Chapel Hill.

South Carolina is 8-3-1 this season with seven regular season matches left to play. Following this week’s pair of road games. USC is back in Columbia to take on in-state rival Furman (Oct. 27) and Duke (Oct. 31). The Gamecocks will then return to Charleston to play in the Cougars’ Aaron Olitsky Memorial Soccer Classic. USC will play Coastal Carolina on Nov. 5 and Alabama A&M on Nov. 7. Florida International visits Stone Stadium for the regular season finale on Nov. 14.

The Gamecocks appear in three of the four national polls this week. Soccer America ranks USC No. 15, and the Gamecocks are No. 23 in both the Soccer Times and College Soccer News polls.

Junior forward Ryan Deter (3g, 3a) and junior midfielder/defender Josh Alcala (3g, 3a) continue to share the scoring lead with nine points each. Sophomore forward Ayo Akinsete is next with eight points (4g) and sophomore forward Michael Sambursky (2g, 3a), junior midfielder Eric Szeszycki (2g. 3a) and freshman forward Sebastian Lindholm (2g, 3a) are tied for third with seven points apiece.

Half of South Carolina’s wins this season have come in shutout fashion. Sophomore goalkeeper Brad Guzan has played every minute of the season between the posts and owns a 1.05 goals-against average. He has also registered 62 saves and averages 5.17 per match, a mark that ranks No. 25 nationally. Junior Greg Reece and sophomore Makan Hislop anchor the Gamecock defense that has battled injuries this season. Reece and Hislop have started every match they have played in.

College of Charleston enters Wednesday’s match with a 9-4-0 overall record and riding a four-match win streak. The Cougars’ last setback came on Oct. 3 to Rutgers, 1-0. Since that time, C of C has rattled of wins over St. John’s, Furman, Appalachian State and Wofford. Tony Meyers leads the Cougars in scoring with 12 points (5g, 2a) while Scott Milroth is a close second with 11 (4g, 3a). Keith Wiggans starts in goal and sports a 1.27 goals-against average. He has recorded 56 saves and posted three shutouts in 2004.

The Cougars are led by head coach Ralph Lundy. Lundy is in his 18th season at College of Charleston.

The Gamecocks and Cougars have multiple common opponents this season. College of Charleston played in USC’s adidas/Gamecock Classic on Sept. 10 and 12. The Cougars defeated Bucknell, 2-1, and dropped an overtime match to Portland, 2-1, in the event. South Carolina defeated Southern Conference school Davidson, 4-1, on Sept. 29 while College of Charleston also picked up a 3-1 win over the Wildcats on Sept. 26.

In the all-time series between the two teams, the Gamecocks own a 15-2-3 advantage, including a 3-1-2 record in matches played at College of Charleston. In 2003, the match ended in a 2-2 tie in Columbia.

Head Coach Mark Berson quotes:

“The game with College of Charleston is always filled with emotion as an in-state rivalry. With this season’s match on the road at their place, it presents a real challenge for us, especially coming off two disappointing results last week.

“In those two matches, we played well in stretches, but we were unable to get a goal at critical times. We had opportunities, but when we didn’t score, it changed the tone of those games. When you have to dig out of a hole, it’s difficult to do.

“We have had to battle several injuries this season, but we need to continue to make adjustments and move on. This team has shown that they are resilient time and time again, and we have to go out and prove that in these upcoming matches.”