Nov. 7, 2011
DALLAS, Texas – South Carolina juniors Mike Mangotic and Eric Martinez were both honored with Conference USA Player of the Week awards on Monday, with Mangotic earning the Co-Offensive Player of the Week and Martinez named the Defensive Player of the Week. The duo played outstanding last week for Carolina, where the Gamecocks earned a share of the C-USA Regular Season Championship.
Mangotic scored both Gamecock goals in a crucial 2-2 Conference USA tie versus Kentucky in the regular season finale on Friday. Twice South Carolina responded down one goal in the match, earning the tie, which propelled the Gamecocks to the C-USA co-regular season championship, as well as the No. 1 seed in the upcoming C-USA Tournament. Mangotic tallied his first goal, a header on a long goal kick from netminder Alex Long early in the second half, before evening the match at 2-2 in the 83rd minute. His late-match tally came on a shot to the far post just past the out-stretched hands of the Kentucky goalkeeper. This is Mangotic’s first C-USA Offensive Player of the Week honor of his career. Mangotic shared this week’s award with Babayele Sodade of UAB.
Martinez tallied the game winner in a thrilling, 1-0, double-overtime win at No. 22 UCF during a crucial C-USA win last week. The match was the first last week, where the Gamecocks also earned a 2-2 overtime tie versus Kentucky to claim the C-USA co-regular season championship. The win at UCF also marked the 450th of South Carolina head coach Mark Berson’s career. Martinez knocked home the goal with just 59 seconds remaining in the second overtime at UCF off of a deflection following a Carolina corner kick. The shutout victory at UCF was the third of the season for the Gamecocks. The goal was the first of Martinez’s career. The Defensive Player of the Week honor is the first of his career.
South Carolina travels to the 2011 Conference USA Tournament in Tulsa, Okla., this week where the top-seeded Gamecocks will play the winner of the first quarterfinal match between No. 4 seed Marshall and No. 5 seed SMU. The Gamecocks will play in the first semifinal match, which will take place on Friday at 6 p.m. ET in Tulsa, Okla.
