Sept. 20, 2011
COLUMBIA, S.C. – The South Carolina men’s soccer team will host Wake Forest on Wednesday at 7 p.m. ET, concluding a three-match homestand at Stone Stadium. Carolina, fresh off its 2-1 come-from-behind win over High Point on Sunday, will host Wake Forest prior to the start of Conference USA play on Saturday at Memphis. Live stats and free live video will be available via GamecocksOnline.com.
South Carolina enters Wednesday’s contest with a 2-4-1 overall record, including a 2-0 mark in games played in Columbia. The squad is paced by senior midfielder Stephen Morrissey, who has three goals on the year, including one game winner and a perfect 2-of-2 mark on penalty kick opportunities. Freshman midfielder Braeden Troyer has started all seven games of his rookie campaign, scoring two goals on the young season, including the equalizer versus High Point last Sunday. Senior midfielder Vance Benson and sophomore midfielders Bradlee Baladez and J.P. Rafferty have contributed one goal each for the Gamecocks. Redshirt-sophomore goalkeeper Alex Long enters Wednesday match with 20 saves on the year and a 1.80 goals against average.
Wake Forest enters Wednesday’s contest with a 2-3-1 mark on the year, most recently suffering a 1-0 loss to then-No. 8 North Carolina last Friday. Four different Wake Forest players have scored for the team in 2011, as junior forward Andy Lubahan, junior midfielder Ben Newnam, sophomore defender Tolani Ibikunle and junior forward Sean Randolph have each scored, with Lubahn and Randolph netting game winners. Junior goalkeeper Michael Lisch has played the majority of time in net for the Demon Deacons. He enters Wednesday’s match with a 1.14 goals against average and 22 saves.
Wake Forest holds a slight 14-12-1 upperhand in the all-time series with South Carolina. The team’s have met in each of the last three seasons, with Wake Forest earning victories in the 2008 and 2009 meetings, and South Carolina most recently earning a 1-0 road win at Dennie Spry Stadium last fall in the 2010 matchup.
Season tickets for men’s soccer, which includes admission to all home games, are currently on sale in the Gamecock Ticket Office. Fans can purchase tickets online at GamecocksOnline.com, or by calling 1-800-4SC-FANS. Cost for season tickets for men’s soccer is $25 for adults and $10 for youth (17 and under).
