Sept. 1, 2011

The South Carolina men’s soccer team (0-1-0) travels to face Clemson (0-1-0) in non-conference action at Riggs Field on Friday evening. Game time for the rivalry match is set for 7:15 p.m. Live stats for the match will be available via Gametracker on GamecocksOnline.com, while a webcast of the match will be available via the Clemson website for a fee.

**Along with other events also planned on the Clemson campus on Friday, heavy traffic is expected for the South Carolina vs. Clemson soccer match. Fans are encouraged to come to the Clemson area by using Perimeter Road, and use the Avenue of Champions or Williamson Road to reach the parking areas for the soccer match. Lots near the football stadium will be used for overflow.

GAME INFORMATION
Date: Friday, September 2, 2011
Kick Off: 7:15 p.m. ET
Location: Columbia, S.C.
Stadium: Riggs Field
Series: Clemson leads 22-15-1
Live Stats: GamecocksOnline.com
Game Updates: South Carolina men’s soccer Facebook and Twitter (@GamecockMSoccer)

Game Notes

Carolina Quick Hits
– South Carolina is in its 34th season of varsity soccer in 2011.
– The Gamecocks are led by head coach Mark Berson in his 34th season at the helm of the program. He is assisted by Bert Molinary in his eighth season and Mike Babst in his fifth.
– Berson, in his 35th season overall coaching (spent one season as the head coach at The Citadel), entered the 2011 season ranked as the winningest active coach in Division I men’s soccer with 441 career wins.
– South Carolina holds one of the youngest rosters in its recent history, with nine upperclassmen, compared to 19 combined freshmen and sophomores.
– South Carolina is the reigning Conference USA Tournament Champion after winning the event last November. The Gamecocks defeated Tulsa, 1-0, in double-overtime on a penalty kick by Stephen Morrissey.
– Carolina advanced to the Round of 16 in last year’s NCAA Tournament. Carolina earned the No. 7 national seed and a first-round bye. In its first match of the tournament, South Carolina earned a 1-0 overtime win over Duke when then-freshman Bradlee Baladez scored a goal in the 100th minute for the Gamecock win.
– South Carolina suffered a 3-2 loss on the road at College of Charleston last Sunday. Sophomore forward Bradlee Baladez, Carolina’s top returning scorer from last season, and freshman midfielder Braeden Troyer each scored their first goals of the season in the match.

Scouting Clemson
– Clemson opened the 2011 season with a 2-1 loss at UAB last Saturday in non-conference action. Junior forward Austin Savage tallied the Tiger goal in the match. Clemson welcomes nine starters and 12 letterwinners back from last year’s 5-9-4 team. The team is led by second-year head coach Mike Noonan in 2011. Sophomore goalkeeper Cody Mizell returns in net for the Tigers. Mizell collected three saves in last Saturday’s season opener.

Did You Know?
– When freshman midfielder Braeden Troyer scored versus College of Charleston last Sunday, it marked the first time a Gamecock freshman scored in a season-opening match since Blake Brettschneider propelled South Carolina to a thrilling 1-0, double-overtime win over Clemson to open the 2007 campaign.

Clemson Series
– While Clemson holds a 22-15-4 upperhand in the all-time series between the two schools, South Carolina enters Friday’s match having won four straight meetings, all shutouts, dating back to a 1-0 win to open the 2007 campaign.

New Faces, Young Squad
– Six first-year players saw game action for South Carolina versus College of Charleston. Freshman forward Snoopy Davidson and freshman midfielder Braeden Troyer were part of the starting 11, while freshmen Niklas Kivinen, Emmett Lunceford, Stephen Anderson (redshirt-freshman) and Asa Kryst all saw field time during the match. Redshirt-sophomore goalkeeper Alex Long also earned his first career start in net for Carolina vs. the Cougars.

Preseason Predictions
– The South Carolina men’s soccer team was picked to finish fourth in the 2011 Conference USA Preseason Poll, released earlier this month. Sophomore midfielder Bradlee Baladez was also selected to the 12-man 2011 C-USA Men’s Soccer Preseason All-Conference Team. Both the preseason team and poll are selected by the league’s men’s soccer coaches. SMU was picked to win Conference USA, followed by UCF in second and Tulsa in third. Following the Gamecocks in fourth was Kentucky, UAB, Marshall, FIU and Memphis. Baladez returns for his sophomore campaign after a freshman season in 2010 that saw the Dallas, Texas, native score six goals, including five game winners. Baladez, a 2010 C-USA All-Freshman Team and Third Team selection, started all 22 games for Carolina, posting 63 shots, last season.

ESPN Rise High School All-Americans
– Three freshman members of the South Carolina men’s soccer team were named ESPN Rise Spring High School All-Americans earlier this month. Snoopy Davidson (Forward/Rome, Ga./Rome High School) was named to the first team, while Braeden Troyer (Midfield/Columbia, S.C./Hammond School) and Robert Beebe (Goalkeeper/Summerville, S.C./Pinewood Preparatory School) were both named to the second team. The trio is part of 36 high school student-athletes named to the list. Davidson scored 28 goals and contributed 12 assists to earn Rome News-Times Player of the Year honors, while also becoming the first player to have his jersey retired at Rome High School in 2010. Davidson was named the 2011 Georgia Boys Gatorade Player of the Year. Beebe was named the 2011 South Carolina Boys Gatorade Player of the Year, while also earning SCISA State High School Player of the Year accolades. Troyer joins the Gamecocks after earning SCISA Region I Player of the Year accolades, while also earning all-state and all-area honors as a senior.

Up Next For The Gamecocks
– South Carolina travels to the Dartmouth Classic next weekend, Sept. 9-11. The Gamecocks are slated to face host Dartmouth on Friday, and will conclude tournament action vs. Bradley on Sunday. Dartmouth is ranked No. 22 in this week’s NSCAA Top 25 Poll, while Bradley is currently receiving votes in the poll.