Carolina Host High-Powered No. 14 FIU Saturday Night
Oct. 13, 2017
Men’s Soccer vs. No. 14 FIU
COLUMBIA, S.C. — South Carolina (4-7-1, 0-3-1 C-USA) welcomes high-powered No. 14 FIU (7-0-3, 3-0-1 C-USA) to Stone Stadium Saturday night at 7 p.m. It’ll be the Gamecocks second-straight match versus a nationally ranked opponent and their fifth overall in 2017.
It’s Heroes Night Out at The Graveyard. All military personnel and their families receive free admission to the match.
Carolina sports a 13-0-7 all-time record against the Panthers dating back to 1987. Three of the last five meetings have been. The team’s played to a 0-0 tie on Oct. 10 last season. Conference USA saves leader William Pyle made the play of the match, stopping a PK attempt in the 108th minute.
The Gamecocks supported Ovarian Cancer Awareness all month long in September both at home and on the road by wearing teal warmup shirts for their matches. In addition to the shirts, the Carolina coaching staff and support staff wore teal polo shirts on the sidelines at every game.
The team has been raising awareness for this cancer for three seasons now and encourages women to get regular check ups. Contact your local ovarian cancer support group for more information at 888-682-7426 or visit the National Ovarian Cancer Coalition’s website by clicking here. Remember, NO ONE FIGHTS ALONE!
The teal warmup shirts worn by the team are on sale at the Russell House Bookstore, the game day store and online by clicking here.
FROM THE COACH
“It’s going to be another tough game. They’re on a roll right now. They’ve won quite a few games and are doing well in conference. I think the biggest thing for us is can we deal with their attack. They’re scoring goals in bunches. I think if we can deal with that, we can give ourselves a chance.” — assistant coach Justin Cook
SCOUTING NO. 14 FIU
The Panthers are off to a fantastic start in 2017 with an undefeated record thanks to one of the best offenses in the country. FIU ranks second nationally in scoring with 3.00 goals per game and 8.40 points per game. Their attack is led by one of the nation’s top strikers in Santiago Patino. The junior from Orlando leads the nation in goals per game (1.20) and points per game (2.70). His 27 total points (12G, 3A) are second in the country. Patino’s 12 scores lead the nation. 10 different players have combined to score the team’s 30 goals. Alessandro Campoy ranks second on the team with 12 points (4G, 4A). Inigo Sagarduy leads the team with six assists. The Panthers have outscored opponents 30-12 in their 10 matches. They’ve outscored oppoenets 14-4 in the first 45 minutes. Goalkeeper Hugu Fauroux has started nine matches and posted a 6-0-3 record in the net. He’s allowed 10 goals (1.07 GAA) and made 29 saves (.744 save percentage).
UP NEXT
For the second consecutive time, Carolina has no midweek game. The Gamecocks will have five days to prepare for a C-USA road battle at Charlotte (4-3-3, 1-1-2) next Friday. Kickoff is slated for 7 p.m. at Transamerica Field against the 49ers.
