Oct. 7, 2011

The South Carolina men’s soccer team (5-4-1, 3-0-0 C-USA) continues Conference USA action when it travels to face No. 8 UCF (8-1-1, 2-0-0 C-USA) on Saturday at the UCF Track and Soccer Complex in Orlando. South Carolina enters the match having won its last four contests, including a 1-0 win at UAB on Tuesday.

GAME INFORMATION
Date: Saturday, October 8, 2011
Kick Off: 4 p.m. ET
Location: Orlando, Fla.
Stadium: UCF Track and Soccer Complex
Series: South Carolina leads, 5-0-4
Live Stats: GamecocksOnline.com
Video: www.ucfathletics.com for a fee
Game Updates: South Carolina men’s soccer Facebook and Twitter (@GamecockMSoccer)

Game Notes | Conference USA Notebook

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 is off to its best start to a Conference USA season with a 3-0-0 mark after earning a road win at Memphis, a home victory over Tulsa and most recently a 1-0 shutout win at UAB on Tuesday.
– Sophomore forward Bradlee Baladez has netted the last two game-winners for Carolina, with a tally vs. Tulsa and at UAB. His goal at UAB was described as a world class tally, hitting a one-time volley into the upper corner of the net for the score.
– South Carolina, Marshall and UCF all sit atop the Conference USA standings with undefeated records. Both Carolina and Marshall are 3-0-0, while the Knights enter Saturday’s contest vs. the Gamecocks with a 2-0-0 mark in league play.
– Gamecock netminder Alex Long collected the first shutout of his career at UAB on Tuesday. While he didn’t register a save in the match, Long and the South Carolina defensive line of Danny Cates, Trevor Hubbard, Kevin Stam and Eric Martinez battled against 10 shots and 14 UAB corner kicks in the match.
– In his Wednesday press conference South Carolina head coach Mark Berson said that sophomore midfielder Chipper Root, who has been battling an ankle injury, and freshman forward Asa Kryst, who has a quad pull, will be evaluated on a game-by-game basis.

Scouting UCF
– The Knights opened league play last week by recording a home win over Kentucky and a road victory at SMU. Both the Wildcats and Mustangs were nationally ranked at the time. UCF sophomore McKauly Tulloch registered three goals and an assist last week and was named the College Soccer News National Player of the Week and the C-USA Offensive Player of the Week. He leads the nation with 12 goals in eight contests this year. UCF enters Saturday’s match with its highest national ranking in program history as the No. 6 team in this week’s Soccer America Top 25 Poll. The squad is ranked No. 8 in the NSCAA Top 25 Poll.

Series History
– South Carolina owns a 5-0-4 upperhand in the all-time series against UCF, including a 3-0-1 mark in games played in Orlando. South Carolina earned a 3-1 win during the 2009 season at the UCF Track and Soccer Complex behind two penalty kick within a five minute span during the opening half.

Last Year vs. UCF
– The 20th-ranked South Carolina men’s soccer team battled through 90 minutes of regulation and two 10 minute overtime sessions, earning a 1-1 tie with Conference USA foe No. 22 UCF on Oct 16, 2011, at Stone Stadium. Then-freshman midfielder Bradlee Baladez scored South Carolina’s goal, his then-team leading fifth tally of the season. South Carolina was led by then-senior midfielder Blake Brettschneider with five shots and one assist, while Baladez contributed three shots, and then-junior midfielder Stephen Morrissey added two shots and one assist. Nik Robson led the Knights with six shots, including three on frame, while Yaron Bacher contributed six shots, including two on frame. Ben Hunt scored UCF’s goal, his third of the season. South Carolina goalkeeper Jimmy Maurer collected a game-best six saves in net for Carolina, while UCF counterpart Shawn Doyle earned two saves. The contest proved physical with UCF holding a slight 18-16 advantage in fouls. The Knights drew three yellow cards, against just one by Carolina in the match. UCF held an 8-2 advantage in shots in the first half, but South Carolina finished the opening 45 minutes of action with a 1-0 lead.