Aug. 12, 2015
COLUMBIA, S.C. – South Carolina head men’s soccer coach Mark Berson looked encouraged after his team’s first practice of the fall of 2015, as the team prepares for its fall schedule.
“It was great to get off the mark,” said Berson, who enters his 38th season as the Gamecocks’ head coach, “particularly to get the fitness test out of the way. They did quite well. I’m quite pleased with the work they did this summer. We did a little training after that and got off to a great start. It’s great to have everything moving forward.”
A number of new faces joined the team this week, including five more recruits. Joining the team is transfer midfielder Spencer Meschter, transfer goalkeeper William Pyle, midfielder Trygve Ellingstad, forward Bjorn Gudjonsson and defender Andre Streete.
Meschter scored a goal and added two assists as a freshman in 2013 at Alleghany College, which competes at the NCAA Division III level. He was an honorable mention All-Gazette member as a senior in Montgomery County, Maryland.
Pyle earned Southern Conference All-Freshman Team honors last year at UNC Greensboro in goal, stopping 70 shots with a goals-against average of 1.16. All four of Pyle’s shutouts came in his nine starts in the league for the Spartans. From Charlotte, N.C., the incoming sophomore was a four-star recruit out of Ardrey Kell High School according to TopDrawerSoccer.com.
Ellingstad hails from Bergen, Norway, where the 6-1 standout played in the midfield for Vladmyra IL. He is a two-time winner of the Norwegian U19 championship with clubs FK Fyllingsdalen and SK Brann.
Gudjonsson is a 6-1 forward from Reykjavik, Iceland, who led his Njardvik team in goals last year. He also played handball in his home country, playing on the national teams for his age level for three years.
Streete is a 6-2 defender from Wolverhampton, England. He played with Wolverhampton for six years before moving to Fleetwood Town for last season. He also played men’s volleyball, earning a spot in England’s national team camp.
These new additions join a roster of 16 returners from last year’s 10-10 team that made the Conference USA Tournament Championship Match.
Season tickets are on sale now for the Gamecocks’ 2015 home slate. For $25 for adults and $10 for youth 17 and under, fans gain access to nine men’s soccer home matches and also to every Gamecock women’s soccer home match. As a special gift, season-ticket buyers will also receive a free Gamecock scarf along with their tickets. Purchase those tickets on GamecocksOnline.com/tickets today.
