Aug. 28, 2014
No. 12 South Carolina (2-0-0) welcomes No. 22 Boston University (2-0-0), Milwaukee (0-2-0) and the College of Charleston (2-0-0) to Stone Stadium this weekend for the Garnet & Black Classic. On Friday the College of Charleston and Milwaukee kick off the event with a 4 p.m. match. Then, the stage is set for the first meeting between ranked teams in Stone Stadium in a year with the No. 12 Gamecocks putting on their school-record 12 game home winning streak on the line against No. 22 Boston University. The tournament concludes on Sunday with Boston University facing the College of Charleston at 12 p.m., followed by the Gamecocks and Milwaukee at approximately 2:30 p.m..
GARNET & BLACK CLASSIC INFORMATION
Tournament Central | Game Notes 
Date/Opponent: Fri., Aug. 29 vs. No. 22 Boston University
Kickoff: approx. 6:30 p.m. ET
Stadium: Stone Stadium
Tickets
SEC Network+ Live Stream
Promotions:Welcome Home Students – first 125 students receive a FREE Welcome Home t-shirt
Date/Opponent: Sun., Aug. 31 vs. Milwaukee
Kickoff: approx.. 2:30 p.m. ET
Stadium: Stone Stadium
Tickets
SEC Network+ Live Stream
Promotions:Youth Soccer Club Day & Camper Reunion Day – those who wear their club jerseys will receive $1 admission and the first 100 kids (12 and under) will receive a FREE soccer t-shirt; National Buffalo Wing Day – first 75 fans will receive a coupon for boneless wings
SCOUTING BOSTON UNIVERSITY
Boston University (2-0-0) is predicted to repeat as Patriot League champions with 20 returning players from the successful 2013 campaign. Nancy Feldman’s team is off to a strong start after a pair of come-from-behind 2-1 victories over La Salle and No. 19 Boston College that put the team in the top 25. The Terriers earned a 2-1 result in both matches. In their opener against La Salle, senior forward Ana Cuffia equalized in the 78th minute and junior forward Jenna Fischer punched in the game-winner with just seven seconds on the clock. Against the ranked Eagles, BU fell behind 1-0 again. Fisher drew even with their rivals in the 54th minute and freshman forward Christina Wakefield tallied the winner in the 79th minute. The only Patriot League player with two goals, Fischer is the reigning league Offensive Player of the Week. The Terriers also return 2013 Patriot League Rookie of the Year forward Erica Koslenski and first team all-conference senior defender Kai Miller.
South Carolina leads the series 2-0-1. Last season, the Gamecocks and Terriers tied, 0-0, in Boston.
SCOUTING MILWAUKEE
Milwaukee (0-2-0) will look to get back on track this weekend in Columbia after dropping two matches at a tournament hosted by the University of Wisconsin last weekend. Tennessee overwhelmed the Panthers 5-0 in the 2014 opener. Milwaukee then had two of its eight shots hit the crossbar in a 2-0 loss to Oregon. The Panthers have earned a bid to the NCAA Tournament for six-straight seasons and bring back eight seniors and eight starters from last year’s Horizon League championship team. They’ll have senior forward Kelly Lewers, the Horizon League Player of the Year, Offensive Player of the Year and conference tournament MVP, back as well as three Horizon League first-teamers and two league All-Freshman performers.
South Carolina and Milwaukee have met just once, a 0-0 draw on the road in 2012 season opener.
THE GAMECOCKS VS. RANKED TEAMS
The Gamecocks will look to improve their 7-16-5 home record against ranked teams on Friday night when they face No. 22 Boston University. In 2013, South Carolina played five teams in the top 25, putting together a 2-2-1 record that included wins over No. 7 Duke (1-0, Aug. 25, 2013) at home and No. 8 Florida (2-1, 2OT, Oct. 4, 2013) on the road. The match up against the Blue Devils last August was the last time two ranked teams met in Stone Stadium.
HOME SWEET HOME
“The Graveyard” proved to be a friendly place for the Gamecocks in 2013 as they streaked to a perfect 11-0-0 record at home, the first in program history. With a 2-1 win over SEC foe Kentucky, the 2013 squad became the first team to win 10 regular season games at Stone Stadium. They added another against Furman in the NCAA Tournament to push the streak to 11, tying the 2009 (11-1-0) squad with the most home wins in school history. South Carolina’s stingy defense allowed just four goals in 11 home matches. With another shutout win over Samford to open the 2014 home slate, the Gamecocks stretched the streak to 12, the longest win streak in school history. The longest unbeaten stretch in program history is 15 spanning the 2006 and 2007 seasons.
LEACH OFF TO STELLAR START
TopDrawerSoccer.com named Leach to their Team of the Week after the center back provided the offense in the season opener at East Carolina, scoring a pair of set-piece goals in the 2-0 win. The match marked her first career multi-goal game. The senior also helped captain the Gamecocks’ defense to back-to-back shutouts to start the season for the second-straight year. The unit allowed just three shots over the course of the opening weekend, the fewest in the league, and is one of three SEC teams that has yet to allow a point.
BACK-TO-BACK SHUTOUTS
With a pair of 2-0 wins at East Carolina and at home over Samford, South Carolina opened the season with back-to-back shutouts for the second-straight season. The Gamecocks allowed just three total shots in their first two matches, fewest in the SEC, and is one of three league teams that did not allow a point in the first weekend of the 2014 season. The Gamecocks outshot their opponents 47-3 over the opening weekend.
UP NEXT FOR THE GAMECOCKS
South Carolina rounds out their five-game home stand at Stone Stadium with matches against intrastate rival Clemson on Fri., Sept. 5, at 7 p.m. and High Point on Sun., Sept. 7, at 1 p.m.
