Nov. 12, 2015

Feature Stories

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

Seven South Carolina Players Make Conference USA Awards List

• Junior Danny Deakin led seven Gamecocks who garnered spots on Conference USA’s awards.
• Deakin earned first-team honors after ranking fourth in league matches in goals scored (4).
• On the second team were junior defender Koty Millard and senior forward Kevin Walker.
• Third-team honorees from the Gamecocks were junior defender Ive Burnett and senior forward Jeffrey Torda, while Torda also made the C-USA All-Academic Team.
• Two central defenders Peyton Ericson and Torgeir Nyboe made the C-USA All-Freshman Team.
• The seven honored is the most for a Gamecock squad since eight earned accolades in 2008.

South Carolina in the Conference USA Tournament

• This ranks as the ninth Conference USA Tournament South Carolina has played in since joining the league as an affiliate member in 2005.
• Twice, the Gamecocks have won the event, in 2005 and 2010. Last season, SC played in its third championship match.
• South Carolina is 10-6-1 all-time in the event, including 3-3 in the semifinals.

Offense Highlights for the Gamecocks

• Junior Danny Deakin leads South Carolina in goals and points and has three game-winners.
• Deakin recorded a hat trick and two braces already this season and is the first Gamecock since Sam Arthur in 2008 to tally 10 goals in a season.
• Deakin’s three vs. UNC Greensboro on Sept. 8 came almost exactly 14 years after the previous Gamecock hat trick, as Jordan Quinn recorded his on Sept. 9, 2001, against TCU.
• The braces (two-goal matches) came in home wins over No. 8 Elon, scoring both in the second half, and Florida Atlantic, tallying both in the first period.
• Senior Jeffrey Torda has five goals, four of them 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.
• Kevin Walker also has five goals, giving the Gamecocks three 5+ goal scorers for the first time since 2010.
• Junior Koty Millard has a goal and a team-best five assists, tying senior Ryan Arambula in helpers.
• The year 2010 was also the last time the Gamecocks had two players with five assists each.

We Schedule Top Competition

• According to the NCAA’s data on Nov. 9, the Gamecocks have played the toughest non-conference schedule in the country and the sixth-toughest overall.
• South Carolina has faced six RPI top-30 foes, with 11 in the top 50 and 14 in the top 100.
• Of the 17 regular-season matches, 12 came against top-100 RPI teams in the final 2014 report.
• 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’ opponents made last year’s NCAA Tournament.

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.

Gamecocks Keep CoSIDA Academic All-District Streak Alive with Two Picks

• Senior Jeffrey Torda and junior Ive Burnett gained CoSIDA Academic All-District 4 honors on Oct. 28.
• Torda garnered his second selection, while Burnett took home his first.
• The Gamecocks have had at least one honoree in each of the past 10 years and have had multiple students make the list for three consecutive years now.
• The two move onto the national ballot. The CoSIDA Academic All-America Teams will be announced on Nov. 24.

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.

Three Weeks Produce Big Awards for Gamecocks

• Twice this season, South Carolina has earned three awards in a week for its play.
• After downing No. 8 Elon and No. 7 New Mexico, William Pyle earned C-USA Defensive Player of the Week honors and made the Top Drawer Soccer Team of the Week.
• Danny Deakin garnered College Soccer News Team of the Week honors that week as well as on Nov. 2 after his two goals in wins over FIU and No. 13 Old Dominion.
• Deakin claimed C-USA Offensive Player of the Week on Nov. 2 as well, while junior Koty Millard took a spot on the Top Drawer Soccer Team of the Week on Nov. 3.
• Millard claimed the league’s Defensive Player of the Week honors on Nov. 9 after helping the Gameccocks shut out No. 11 Coastal Carolina.

Gamecocks Repeat History with Undefeated Home Record

• The Gamecocks posted an undefeated record (8-0-1) at Stone Stadium this season, the fifth time in program history a team has not lost a home match in the regular season.
• Three times, South Carolina fell in NCAA Tournament play at home to blemish the record: 1985, 1987 and 1997.
• The only year South Carolina went undefeated at home all year was 1993, going 10-0-1.
• That team won the Metro Conference title and played in the NCAA Championship Match.

The NCAA Division I Active Wins Leader: Mark Berson

• NCAA Division I’s active wins leader, Mark Berson is fifth on the Division I wins list and 15th on the all-divisions listing with 483 career victories in 38 years.
• He has 472 wins at South Carolina as the only head coach in program history, and he had 11 in 1977 at The Citadel.
• He’s one of four coaches in NCAA Division I history with 450 wins at one institution.
• 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).

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 now has five goals on the season, tied for second on the team.
• 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. He added an assist against No. 13 Old Dominion.
• In the evolving alignment which shifted seniors Asa Kryst and Jeffrey Torda to the front line, 12 of South Carolina’s last 18 goals have come from the front line.

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 Nov. 9 report from the NCAA, South Carolina ranks eighth in average attendance this season, with 2,415 fans counted through nine home matches.
• Over 1,000 season tickets were 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.

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.

Scouting Marshall

• The Thundering Herd advanced to the semifinals via penalty kicks, 5-3, over Charlotte after the two fought to a 1-1 draw.
• The seventh seed in the tournament, Marshall is now 3-0-2 in its last five, including a win over a ranked Old Dominion team and ties against New Mexico and the 49ers.
• Dominik Reining went all 110 minutes in goal on Wed and has a 0.70 goals against average.
• He shares time with Bijan Gloston, who has a 1.73 goals against average in 831 minutes.
• Marshall’s foes average nearly 16 shots a match, while the Herd take 11.4.
• Offensively, Rimario Gordon leads the way with six goals, while he’s tied with Chris Taibi with two game winners.
• Three Herd players have four assists: Daniel Jodah, Jack Hopkins and Ryan Forde.
• Jodah and Taibi both have tallied three goals to tie for second on the team.

Series History vs. the Thundering Herd

• Marshall leads the series 6-4-1, with this meeting the first neutral-site one in series 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.
• Torda earned his second CoSIDA Academic All-District honor this season, and junior Ive Burnett joined him on the 2015 team.
• 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 43-30-16 (.573) mark.
• On the road, that mark is 21-15-10 (.565). At Stone Stadium, that record is 22-15-6 (.581).