Oct. 29, 2005

The South Carolina men’s soccer team (7-6-1, 4-1-1 C-USA) will take on No. 9 Southern Methodist University (10-4-2, 8-0-0 C-USA) in its home regular season finale on Sunday afternoon at Stone Stadium. Prior to the 1 p.m. kickoff, South Carolina will honor its four seniors, Josh Alcala, Ryan Deter, Greg Reece and Eric Szeszycki. The first 100 fans to arrive at the match will receive a free adidas South Carolina ski cap. Fans wearing a Halloween costume receive free admission and a Halloween Party will be held after the game.

Fans can access live statistics during the game via Gametracker on South Carolina’s official athletics web site, www.USCsports.com. A live audio broadcast is also available on the site.

The Gamecocks defeated a tough Tulsa team in convincing fashion on Friday night in Columbia, 4-1. USC used three second-half goals to secure the victory, and four different Gamecock players scored goals (Alcala, Mike Sambursky, Rob Charest and Ayo Akinsete) and freshman goalkeeper Mike Gustavson made four saves. With the victory over TU, South Carolina clinched a spot in the Conference USA Tournament, which will be played Nov. 9, 11 and 13 in Dallas, Texas, on the SMU campus.

SMU has clinched the 2005 Conference USA regular season title with its perfect 8-0-0 record and will close out its regular season against South Carolina. The Mustangs have defeated every other league team during their run.

With three games left to play, the Gamecocks are tied for third in the C-USA standings. In its last 10 matches, South Carolina is 7-2-1.

Carolina’s senior class of Josh Alcala, Ryan Deter, Greg Reece and Eric Szeszycki has enjoyed tremendous success in four seasons. The group has combined to play in 285 matches and make 215 starts. The foursome has also scored 105 points, led Carolina to a pair of NCAA Tournaments and 39 wins.