Oct. 1, 2010

Game Information
C-USA Opener

Date: Saturday, October 2, 2010
Kickoff: 7 p.m.
Location: Columbia, S.C.
Stadium: Stone Stadium (5,700)
Series: South Carolina leads, 5-3-1
South Carolina leads 2-0-1 in Columbia
Live Stats: GamecocksOnline.com

Game Notes

Carolina Quick Hits
– South Carolina is in its 33rd year of varsity soccer.
– Head coach Mark Berson is the only head men’s soccer coach in school history. He enters weekend action with a 421-170-57 all-time record at the school and a 432-175-57 career record (spent one season at The Citadel prior to appointment at South Carolina).
– Entering the 2010 campaign, Berson ranked second among active coaches in victories (428) and eighth among the winningest coaches all-time in Division I history.
– Berson is assisted by Bert Molinary, in his seventh season at South Carolina, and Mike Babst, in his fourth.
– South Carolina enters Saturday’s C-USA opener on a two-game win streak, after defeating Charlotte and Wake Forest on the road, Saturday and Tuesday, respectively.
– Carolina has been a member of C-USA since the 2005 season. In that time, the Gamecocks are 5-0 in conference openers, including a 1-0 mark (2007, 1-0) vs. UAB.
– Freshman midfielder Bradlee Baladez scored his second goal, and second game-winning goal, in South Carolina’s 1-0 road victory at Wake Forest on Tuesday. Baladez has contributed 15 shots on the year.
– Senior forward Blake Brettschneider, who missed the Wake Forest contest with a leg injury, is slated to return for South Carolina vs. UAB. Brettschneider leads the Gamecocks with 24 shots, including 14 on goal this season. He has posted two goals, both game winners, and one assist.
– Senior goalkeeper Jimmy Maurer earned his second Conference USA Defensive Player of the Week honor on Monday for his outstanding play vs. Charlotte. The shutout was the 22nd of his career.
– Junior midfielder Stephen Morrissey and senior defender Will Traynor were named to the Gamecock Classic All-Tournament Team.
– Junior midfielder Danny Cates scored his first-career goal as a Gamecock in South Carolina’s 2-2 tie vs. Iona. Cates has collected seven career assists at South Carolina, including one this season.
– Brettschneider ranks first in C-USA with 4.00 shots per game.
– Maurer leads C-USA with 0.57 shutouts per game, while he ranks third in goals against average (0.97).
– UAB junior midfielder Josh Stewart visits South Carolina for the first time since his transfer to the Blazer program following the 2009 season.

UAB Series
The Gamecocks own a 5-3-1 upperhand in the all-time series with UAB, which dates back to a neutral site, South Carolina victory during the 1995 season. In Columbia, Carolina owns a 2-0-1 upperhand.

Scouting UAB
UAB enters this weekend’s C-USA showdown at South Carolina sporting a 6-2 overall record. The only two losses suffered by the Blazers have come against a pair of top-5 teams in No. 4 Virginia (L, 2-1 on Sept. 3) and No. 5 SMU (L, 3-2 on Sept. 24). The Blazers rank as one of the top offensive teams in collegiate soccer, leading the nation in total goals (24) and are tied for second in the nation in scoring offense (3.0 goals per game). Forwards Babayele Sodade and Anthony King lead the team and are tied for 15th in the country with five goals on the season. King leads the team with 12 points (5g, 2a) while Sodade is second with 11 points (5g, 1a). Junior goalkeeper Carl Woszczynski continues to perform well in the net. He owns a 1.06 GAA, allowing eight goals while making a league-high 29 saves on the campaign.

Home Sweet Home
South Carolina holds an all-time record of 265-66-21 (.786) in home contests at Stone Stadium, including a 1-1-1 mark in 2010.

Injury Update
Redshirt-junior midfielder Vance Benson, who suffered a broken right leg in South Carolina’s contest vs. Clemson, will be out for the season after undergoing surgery to repair the break. Sophomore defender Eric Martinez, who suffered an achilles tendon injury vs. Iona, will be out for the season, as will senior forward Mike Lindsay, who suffered a broken leg vs. UConn.

Maurer Climbs Record Books
South Carolina senior goalkeeper Jimmy Maurer now holds sole possession of third place in Gamecock history with 23 career shutouts, including four this season. Maurer leads C-USA with 0.57 shutouts per contest thus far in 2010.

Maurer Named Defensive Player Of The Week
South Carolina senior goalkeeper Jimmy Maurer was named the Conference USA Defensive Player of the Week on Monday. Maurer earned the weekly accolade for the eighth time of his career and the second time of the 2010 season after being honored on Sept. 7. Maurer collected his third shutout of the season in South Carolina’s 1-0 road victory over Charlotte on Sept. 25. The shutout marked Maurer’s 22nd of his career, moving him into sole possession of third place in school history in the category.