Oct. 28, 2014

South Carolina at Old Dominion
ODU Soccer Complex – Norfolk, Va.
Wed., Oct. 29, 7 PM
C-USA Digital Network ($) | Live Stats | @GamecockMSoccer

14 SC Men’s Soccer Notes-10/28

Feature on Braeden Troyer
Feature on Jeff Addai

South Carolina Team Notes

• South Carolina has been a second-half team, winning more corner kicks (48-30) and shot chances (124-89) in the second 45 in its 15 matches.
• Two Gamecocks have played every minute this year: Braeden Troyer (Sr.) and Ive Burnett (So.).
• South Carolina has taken 131 of their 227 shots, 57 percent, in six home matches: Belmont, Mercer, UNC Greensboro, Marshall, Georgia State and Kentucky.
• Four times, SC has held foes to 2 or less shots on goal: Belmont, Marshall, Georgia State and UAB.
• South Carolina stands with an all-time record of 458-208-68 (.670).
• The 3-0 start was South Carolina’s best in a decade, when the 2004 squad won its first four matches.
• Ranked 17th in the Sept. 9 NSCAA/Continental Tire poll, South Carolina received its first ranking since the last regular season poll of 2011 (23rd).

Gamecocks are Comeback Kings in 2014

• In five of South Carolina’s seven wins, the team has come from behind to take the victory.
• Four victories came from one goal back, with the fifth marking the largest comeback in school history (down 0-3 at Florida Atlantic).
• Twice, the team has fought back against a ranked foe despite being down a player to force double overtime (down 0-1 vs. No. 25/18 Clemson, down 0-3 vs. No. 19/22 Kentucky).
• The only win that didn’t involve overtime or coming back was a 2-0 decision over Mercer.

Especially Experienced in Overtime

• The Gamecocks hold a 4-4 mark in overtime this year, the most OT wins in a season in history and the most extra-time matches played without a tie for the Gamecocks.
• The eight overtime matches ties for most in a season with last year’s squad.
• South Carolina has played 15 overtime matches in its last 28 outings dating back to last year.
• The eight OT contests ties for second in NCAA Division I this year, behind UC Davis with 11.
• Albany, Loyola (Chicago) and UC Riverside have also played extra time in eight matches.

South Carolina Celebrating 10 Years in Conference USA

• The 2014 season is South Carolina’s 10th as a men’s soccer affiliate member of Conference USA.
• In 2011, the Garnet and Black captured the league’s regular-season crown, sharing it with UAB.
• Twice, the Gamecocks have won the league’s tournament (2005 and 2010).
• South Carolina’s student-athletes have taken 40 all-league nods, with 14 coming on the first team.
• In C-USA outings, South Carolina owns a 37-27-16 (.563) mark.
• On the road, that mark is 18-12-10 (.575). At Stone Stadium, that record is 19-15-6 (.550).
• Entering their final two matches on the road, the Gamecocks look to complete their fifth undefeated road slate since entering C-USA.
• The others came in 2005 (4-0-1), 2007 (2-0-2), 2011 (4-0-0) and 2013 (2-0-1).
• Both Old Dominion and New Mexico have yet to lose a home C-USA match this year, with the Lobos never losing a league match at home since entering prior to the 2013 season.

Bizarro World for 2014 Gamecocks in C-USA Action

• South Carolina went 0-4 in Conference USA play at home, the first time the Gamecocks went winless at home in league action.
• Offense dried up in those outings, with the three goals coming in the final 50 minutes of action vs. No. 19/22 Kentucky.
• The three goals against the Wildcats pushed their goals-against average down 10 spots to No. 12 in the Oct. 27 NCAA Division I stats rankings.
• When on the road, the Gamecocks have scored nine goals in C-USA play (5 at FIU, 4 at FAU), not losing a road match with two to play.

Conference Tournament Field Far From Set

• South Carolina holds the seventh spot in the Conference USA standings, the final one to make the league’s tournament, with six points.
• Behind them are Florida Atlantic and FIU, teams that SC hold wins over and thus the tiebreaker.
• The Owls (4 points) and Panthers (3 points) meet on Wed. in Miami.
• If Florida Atlantic wins, the Gamecocks have to get at least one more point to tie them and take the final spot in the tourney.
• Both have two more matches after that: the Owls at Charlotte and home vs. UAB, the Panthers hosting league-leading Kentucky and a match at Old Dominion.

Attendance Outstanding at Stone Stadium

• The 2014 Gamecocks have the sixth-highest paid attendance average in NCAA Division I at 2,602.
• That 2,602 attendance average is the largest for a season in Stone Stadium history.
• The paid attendance of 5,415 for the season-opening match against Belmont ranks as the 4th-best in Stone Stadium history and 8th in the site’s history of men’s matches.

Gamecocks Come Back at Florida Atlantic for Big Win

• The Gamecocks scored four unanswered goals in the final 30 minutes of regulation and five minutes of overtime to claim a 4-3 road win at Florida Atlantic on Oct. 17.
• South Carolina posted its biggest come-from-behind victory with that effort, the first time in 37 years a Gamecock team overcame a three-goal deficit.
• Doubling the Owls in shots in the second half, SC had two goals from redshirt freshman Mikkel Knudsen, including the neutralizer with 7:59 remaining.
• Two Gamecocks made their season debut in the win, juniors Devin L’Amoreaux and Wesley Eads. L’Amoreaux had an assist on the game-tying goal by Knudsen.

Berson Ranks Sixth on NCAA Division I Coaching Wins List

• The only head coach in South Carolina men’s soccer history, Mark Berson ranks as one of four coaches in NCAA Division I history with 450 wins at one institution.
• Berson owns 469 career victories in 38 years, which includes his 11 in 1977 at The Citadel.
• He holds 6th on the NCAA Division I wins list and 16th on the all-divisions listing.
• The FAU win broke a tie with former Kean head coach Tony Ochrimenko to give Berson 16th alone on the all-divisions list.
• Berson coached his 750th collegiate match on Sat. vs. Kentucky.
• He’s coached 13 players who have captured 15 All-America nods at South Carolina.
• He’s also guided at least one player on each of the past four US Men’s National Teams in the World Cup (Clint Mathis 2002, Josh Woolf 2002 and 2006, Brad Guzan 2010 and 2014).

We Scheduled Strong Foes

• Of the 17 regular-season matches scheduled this season for the Gamecocks, 12 come against top-100 RPI teams in the final 2013 report from the NCAA.
• Seven rank in the top 50, four from C-USA (Charlotte, UAB, Old Dominion & New Mexico).
• Four foes made the NSCAA/Continental Tire Preseason Top 25, well, 26 when you count Old Dominion tying for the 25th spot with Navy.
• Six of the Gamecocks’ foes appear in the current NSCAA top 25 or are receiving votes.
• One team currently ranked remain on the schedule: No. 15/20 New Mexico.
• The Gamecocks are 1-3-0 against ranked teams in 2014, beating No. 25/18 Clemson.
• SC is 1-5 against top-35 teams in the latest RPI report.
• South Carolina’s remaining foes have RPIs in the top 50 (Old Dominion 43, New Mexico 17).
• The remaining opponents have a combined record of 17-8-2, giving SC the 12th-toughest remaining schedule in NCAA Division I.

Awards Came in Bunches in Second Week

• Sophomore goalkeeper Marco Velez won two honors over Sept. 8-9, the Conference USA Defensive Player of the Week and the Disney Soccer/NSCAA Player of the Week.
• It’s Velez’s second C-USA weekly honor, matching his award on Oct. 28, 2013, as a freshman.
• He’s the first national player of the week for SC since Bradlee Baladez took the College Soccer News award on Oct. 4, 2010.
• The last Gamecock before Velez to earn NSCAA’s weekly nod was Ayo Akinsete on Oct. 25, 2006.
• Mahamoudou Kaba took a spot on CSN’s Team of the Week on Sept. 8 after garnering the C-USA Preseason Defensive Player of the Year award.

Recent Dominance of Archrival Clemson

• Since 2007, the Gamecocks are 6-2 against their archrival Clemson, with both of the losses coming in double overtime on the road (2011 & 2013).
• The last four matches at Stone Stadium have gone to the Gamecocks, three coming in shutouts.
• It’s the best stretch since the Gamecocks went 10-4 from 1985-95 against the Tigers, with three of the wins in that stretch coming in NCAA Tournament play.

Roster Notes

• South Carolina brought back 18 letter-winners to go with nine newcomers for 2014.
• The Gamecocks return 80 percent of their goals and 76 percent of their assists from last year.
• Included in that returning group is the top-two goal scorers (Jeffrey Torda and Mahamoudou Kaba) and the top-two assist distributors (Kurtis Turner and Ryan Arambula).
• Only one goalkeeper of three who played in 2013 is not back from last year (Chris Duzan, 30:19).
• Four Conference USA award winners return, including defenders Kaba and Braeden Troyer as well as 2013 All-Freshman Team members Turner (midfielder) and Marco Velez (goalkeeper).
• Both Kaba and Troyer made the C-USA Preseason team, with Kaba garnering the Defensive Player of the Year title.

The Gamecocks Shine in the Classroom as Well

• South Carolina’s 18 returners have a total of 30 SEC Academic Honor Roll certificates and 31 Conference USA Academic Honor Roll notations between them.
• Of those, 10 are Conference USA Academic Medal mentions, which is awarded to student-athletes with a 3.75 cumulative GPA or higher.
• Troyer has three of those Academic Medals, while both Ryan Arambula and Jeffrey Torda have two.
• Four of the seniors, Robert Beebe, Mahamoudou “Mo” Kaba, Asa Kryst and Braeden Troyer have three certificates each.

Scouting Old Dominion

• The Monarchs stand at 7-5-1 on the year, ranking tied for fifth in C-USA with a 2-2-1 mark.
• At home, Old Dominion dominates, winning five of six with the lone loss coming to UNC Wilmington, a squad who came to Stone Stadium and left with a 2-1 win on Sept. 12.
• Alex Tiesenhausen holds down the defense with a 1.04 goals against average, playing every minute in goal.
• He has four shutouts on the year to go with a league-leading 63 saves.
• Ryan Condatta and Jesse Miralrio both have three goals and one assist each.
• Christian Schroeer has a team-high three assists on the year.
• Two of Miralrio’s goals have come in league play, while two of Schroeer’s assists have as well.

Series History vs. the Monarchs

• Old Dominion owns a 3-1 advantage in the series against SC, including taking the only meeting in Norfolk in history, 1-0, on Sept. 4, 1983.

Gamecocks Have a Rich History in NCAA Tournament

• On 20 occasions, the Gamecocks made an NCAA Tournament, the most in Conference USA.
• Eleven times, the Gamecocks have played the NCAA Tournament Round of 16.
• South Carolina is 16-19-1 in the tourney, making two College Cups in 1988 and 1993.