Carolina Ready For ODU In C-USA Tournament Quarterfinals

Nov. 8, 2016

COLUMBIA, S.C. — South Carolina opens play at the Conference USA Men’s Soccer Championship on Wednesday afternoon as it squares off with Old Dominion in the quarterfinals at 4:30 p.m. ET. The Gamecocks are the No. 2 seed and the Monarchs are the No. 7 seed.

“I think there’s a spring in the guys’ step. They’re ready to go,” said Head Coach Mark Berson. “This is an exciting time of year, and I think our guys are tournament ready. We’re ready to go. It should be a great tournament. I think it’s a very, very competitive field. Everybody’s very, very good. It should be a good week. Both teams in this situation are in a do or die moment in time in this tournament. We have to recognize that. I think it’s really important to get off to a good start in the match. I think that’s really important for both teams.”

Carolina, who was No. 25 in the latest RPI standings released by the NCAA on Monday, will look to bulk up its tournament resume this week in West Virginia.

The Gamecocks will be making their 10th appearance in the C-USA Tournament. Berson’s team has won two tournament titles (2005 and 2010) since joining the league in 2005. Carolina is 10-7-1 all-time in the event.

South Carolina is 6-3 all-time in first round round matches at the conference tournament. Last season, the Gamecocks downed New Mexico 1-0 in the opening round after a game-winning goal by Bjorn Gudjonsson in the 78th minute. Carolina advanced to the championship game in 2014.

GAMECOCK QUICK HITS

– Mark Berson is the winningest active NCAA Division I coach, 5th on the all-time NCAA D1 list
– Berson is tied for the most NCAA Tournament appearances among active DI coaches with 21
– The Gamecocks return 17 letter winners and eight starters from last season’s squad that advanced to the Second Round of the NCAA Tournament
– South Carolina, which has been a member of Conference USA since 2005, has two C-USA Tournament titles (2005 and 2010) and two regular-season crowns in 11 years
– Carolina is ranked No. 25 in the latest RPI standings released by the NCAA on November 7
– Nine student-athletes earned C-USA All-Conference honors, led by senior Danny Deakin, who was named to the first team for the second consecutive season
– Midfielder Kurtis Turner and forward Bjorn Gudjonsson earned second team All-C-USA honors; Midfielder Koty Millard, defender Ive Burnett, goalkeeper William Pyle, defender Peyton Ericson and midfielder Julian Veen Uldal earned third team All-C-USA honors; Veen Uldal and forward Luca Mayr were named to the C-USA All-Freshman team
– South Carolina had an eight-match unbeaten streak snapped in a 1-0 loss to No. 2 Wake Forest on Oct. 18
– The streak dated back to a 2-1 overtime win vs. Georgia Southern on Sept. 13.
– During the streak, Carolina outscored opponents 15-4 and pitched four shutouts
– Junior goalkeeper William Pyle was named the C-USA Defensive Player of the Week on Oct. 17 after posting back-to-back shutouts; Pyle had eight saves including five vs. UAB and a PK save in the 108th minute at FIU
– Pyle finished the regular season 10-4-1 with 56 saves and four shutouts; his .800 save percentage ranked third in C-USA and his 0.91 goals against average tied for fourth in the conference
– Gudjonsson was named the C-USA Offensive Player of the Week on Oct. 3 after he scored three goals in two games. He recorded his first career multi-goal game vs. High Point on Sept. 28 with two scores. Gudjonsson also scored once in a 2-1 win vs. Marshall.
– Gudjonsson was again tabbed C-USA Offensive Player of the Week on Nov. 7 for the second time after scoring the team’s first goal in a 2-1 upset of No. 12 Kentucky. He was the only player in the conference to earn offensive player of the week honors twice.
– Turner was named C-USA Offensive Player of the Week on Sept. 26 after scoring the game-winning goal at No. 18 Furman and recording his second assist of the season vs. Georgia State
– The Gamecocks posted a season-high 27 shots and 11 shots on goal in their win vs. Georgia Southern
– Deakin (7G, 6A) leads the team in points with 20; Gudjonsson ranks second with 15 (7G, 1A)
– Mayr leads the team in shots (46) and shots on goal (18)
– South Carolina’s balanced offensive attack features four players with double-digit SOG: Mayr (18), Deakin (17), Walker (13) and Turner (12)
– Mayr scored his first career goal as a Gamecock vs. Mercer on Aug. 30
– Mayr tallied an individual single-game season-high five SOG vs. Georgia Southern
– Deakin leads the team with five game-winning goals, which tied for the C-USA lead and is ninth in the country

TOURNAMENT CENTRAL

This year’s C-USA Championship begins Wednesday, Nov. 9, with quarterfinal matches at 2 p.m., 4:30 p.m. and 7 p.m. ET. All three quarterfinal matches and both semifinal games will be streamed on CUSA TV. The championship match is set for Sunday, Nov. 13 at 2 p.m. ET and will be streamed on ESPN3. For more information, visit the tournament central page.

SCOUTING Old Dominion

Freshman Sebastian Hauret leads the Monarchs in points and assists with 10 and six, respectively. Jesse Miralrio and Niko Klosterhalfen are tied for first on the team in goals with three scores apiece on the season. Wednesday afternoon’s match marks the ninth time the two squads have faced off on the soccer pitch and the second time in the Conference USA tournament. ODU beat Carolina in the championship match of the 2014 conference tournament in Norfolk. The series record stands tied at four wins apiece between the Gamecocks and Monarchs. Carolina downed ODU 3-2 on the road in Norfolk back on Oct. 22 earlier this season.