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Oct. 26, 2015

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South Carolina Hosts FIU
Eugene E. Stone III Stadium – Columbia, S.C.
Tues., Oct. 27, 7 PM
SEC Network + | | @GamecockMSoccer

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Faculty & Staff Appreciation Night
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15 SC Men’s Soccer Notes 10/26 Get Acrobat Reader

Info on SEC Network + gamesGameday Changes for South Carolina Home Soccer Matches

Coach Berson Mic’d Up
Conference USA Soccer: An Elite History
Berson’s Influence Felt On and Off the Field – Courtesy of Spurs and Feathers
Feature on William Pyle
Gamecocks Give Back video feature
Details on the South Carolina Together T-Shirt sales

Offense Highlights for the Gamecocks

  • Senior Jeffrey Torda has three Gamecock game-winners, the second getting national recognition.
  • His scissor kick goal made the No. 2 spot on ESPN SportsCenter’s Top 10 plays for Aug. 31.
  • Junior Danny Deakin followed two matches later with a hat trick, scoring all three goals against UNC Greensboro.
  • That Sept. 8 Gamecock hat trick came almost exactly 14 years after the previous one, as Jordan Quinn recorded his on Sept. 9, 2001, against TCU.
  • Deakin has two braces (two-goal matches) as well, coming in home wins over No. 8 Elon, scoring both in the second half, and Florida Atlantic, tallying both in the first period.
  • Junior Koty Millard has a goal and a team-best four assists, tying senior Ryan Arambula in helpers.
  • Redshirt senior Asa Kryst has a goal and two assists, while junior Kurtis Turner has one assist.
  • As a group, they have tallied 70 percent of the goals and 88 percent of the assists.

We Schedule Top Competition

  • Of the 17 regular-season matches scheduled for the Gamecocks, 12 come against top-100 RPI teams in the final 2014 report from the NCAA.
  • Ten of those ranked in the top 50, five from C-USA (Charlotte, Kentucky, UAB, Old Dominion and New Mexico).
  • Four foes made the NSCAA/Continental Tire Preseason Top 25, with five more among those receiving votes.
  • Eight of the Gamecocks’ foes made last year’s NCAA Tournament.
  • South Carolina has faced five RPI top-30 foes already, eight in the top 50 and 11 in the top 100.
  • The final three outings come against teams currently in the top 20 of the RPI.
  • According to the NCAA’s data, the Gamecocks have played the toughest non-conference schedule in the country and the 13th-toughest overall.

Forwards Produced in Win Streak

  • Kevin Walker and Bjorn Gudjonsson came on strong during the Gamecocks’ four-match winning streak.
  • Walker scored the first Gamecock goal in three straight outings in the skein.
  • He’s the first Gamecock since Mahamoudou Kaba in 2013 to score in three-consecutive matches.
  • Gudjonsson returned to the pitch at Marshall and promptly scored the game-winning goal, his first collegiate tally.

Gamecocks Serve Columbia Community During Floods

  • Twice in the week after the unprecedented storms caused creeks to swell and lake levees to breach, this Gamecock team stepped out to help.
  • On Thurs., Oct. 8 and Sun., Oct. 11, they assisted at centers helping those most affected, spending the first day at Harvest Hope Food Bank and the second at Rosewood Baptist Church.
  • Donations were also taken at the Gamecocks’ match on Fri., Oct. 9 against Florida Atlantic.
  • Relief efforts continue, and the South Carolina athletic department continues to help.
  • The University of South Carolina teamed up with local vender School Cuts to sell a T-shirt, with proceeds benefiting three non-profits who are assisting with the cleanup.

The NCAA Division I Active Wins Leader: Mark Berson

  • 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.
  • NCAA Division I’s active wins leader, Berson is fifth on the Division I wins list and 15th on the all-divisions listing with 479 career victories in 38 years, which includes his 11 in 1977 at The Citadel.
  • Berson coached his 750th collegiate match vs. Kentucky on Oct. 25, 2014, while his 750th South Carolina match came in the 2-1 win over Florida Atlantic on Oct. 9, 2015.
  • He’s coached 11 players who have captured 13 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).

Homegrown Gamecocks Highlight 2015 Roster

  • Eight Gamecock players hail from inside the Palmetto State, highlighting Mark Berson’s commitment to recruiting and developing local talent.
  • At least three SC natives have started in 11 of the 13 matches, with junior Koty Millard starting every match.
  • For the past decade, South Carolina’s roster has increased its number of natives on the team, with six or more on each squad since 2006, a mark only hit twice in the previous 15 years.

Attendance Outstanding at Stone Stadium

  • In the 2015 season opener, 4,325 fans packed the stands for the eighth-largest crowd to watch a men’s match in Stone Stadium’s history.
  • In the Oct. 25 report from the NCAA, South Carolina ranks seventh in average attendance this season, with 2,824 fans counted through six home matches.
  • The Gamecocks have performed well for their home fans, going undefeated (5-0-1) so far.
  • Over 1,000 season tickets have been sold for Gamecock Soccer in 2015.
  • The first two exhibitions of 2015 had over 4,000 students scan in for each, filling the stands.
  • The 2014 Gamecocks had the fifth-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.

Beating Two Top-10 Teams in a Week Brings Recognition

  • The Gamecocks won their first game vs. an NSCAA top-10 team since 2013 by downing No. 8 Elon 3-1 on Tues., Sept. 22.
  • They followed that with a 2-1 overtime victory over No. 7 New Mexico on Fri, Sept. 25.
  • It’s the second time South Carolina has downed top-10 foes in consecutive matches, matching wins in 2000 over No. 3 Virginia and No. 8 Maryland (9/8-10).
  • Goalkeeper William Pyle earned the Conference USA Defensive Player of the Week nod and made Top Drawer Soccer’s (TDS) Team of the Week for his efforts.
  • College Soccer News (CSN) put midfielder Danny Deakin on its Team of the Week after his two goals in the Elon win.
  • All four national polls recognized the Gamecocks, with the NSCAA putting the squad 19th in the country on Sept. 29.

Roster Notes

  • South Carolina brings back 13 letter-winners and 16 members from the squad that made the 2014 Conference USA Tournament Championship Match.
  • Ten newcomers join the group: three transfers and seven freshmen.
  • The Gamecocks return 47 percent of their goals and 57 percent of their assists from last year.
  • Third-team All-Conference USA midfielder Kurtis Turner is the top returning scorer.
  • Turner has led the Gamecocks in assists in each of his first two years.
  • Junior goalkeeper Marco Velez is also back after playing 87 percent of the minutes in goal and recording three solo shutouts last season.

The Gamecocks Shine in the Classroom as Well

  • South Carolina’s 16 returners have a total of 26 SEC Academic Honor Roll certificates and 25 Conference USA Academic Honor Roll notations between them.
  • Last season, 20 of the roster members picked up spots on each honor roll.
  • Ryan Arambula (three) and Jeffrey Torda (two) both own multiple C-USA Academic Medals, which go to honorees holding a 3.75 cumulative GPA or higher.
  • Both seniors also have CoSIDA Academic All-District nods, Arambula in 2013 and Torda in 2014.
  • Ten times, SC has garnered the NSCAA Team Academic Award, including in each of the past seven years.
  • Twice in the past six years, the Gamecocks have captured the top GPA in NCAA Division I according to the NSCAA.

11th Year for South Carolina in Conference USA

  • The 2015 season is South Carolina’s 11th 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 more, the Gamecocks won the league’s tournament, in 2005 and 2010.
  • South Carolina’s student-athletes have taken 48 all-league nods, with 14 coming on the first team.
  • In C-USA outings, South Carolina owns a 42-30-16 (.568) mark.
  • On the road, that mark is 21-15-10 (.565). At Stone Stadium, that record is 21-15-6 (.571).

Scouting FIU

  • The Panthers are 9-4 this season, their second under Scott Calabrese’s direction.
  • Offense is FIU’s strength, as the team has scored 33 goals this year, having been shut out only twice.
  • The Panthers average nearly 15 shots a match, while their foes have a 9.6 shots-per-game average.
  • Luis Betancur leads the offense with seven goals and four game-winners.
  • Daniel Gonzalez has five goals, while both Brad Fountain and Darren Rios have four each.
  • Jamar Campion-Hinds has a team-high nine assists, while Paul Marie has five helpers.
  • Arthur Clapot has started the last two matches in goal, posting a 1.16 goals-against average in six matches.
  • He has 17 saves in 543 minutes, and he’s tallied the Panthers’ only shutout (vs. Stetson 9/6).
  • Robin Spiegel went the distance in seven matches and has a 1.57 goals-against average.

Series History vs. the Panthers

  • South Carolina has a 12-0-4 record all-time against FIU, playing the Panthers every year since 2000 after the series started with a tie in 1987.
  • The record is 6-0-2 in matches both in Columbia and Miami.

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.

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