Carolina takes on Wofford Wednesday night
First matchup since 2012 between the in-state schools
COLUMBIA, S.C. — South Carolina (1-4-0, 0-1-0 C-USA) returns home to take on Wofford (1-4-0, 0-0-0 SoCon) on Wednesday night at 7 p.m. ET. Gates open 1 hour prior to kickoff at Stone Stadium.
“We’ve got to refocus and get ready for the task on Wednesday,” said head coach Mark Berson. “Some of our younger guys have played a role. They’ve all been on for some minutes and been able to contribute. We’re anxious to play.”
Sophomore midfielder Justin Sukow leads the team in points (4) and goals (2) so far through five games. Junior striker Luca Mayr has assisted on all three of the Gamecocks’ goals so far in 2018.
Senior goalkeeper Ian McGrane has made 21 saves in five starts, which ranks third in Conference USA. He’s faced 52 shots for a .750 save percentage and posted a 1.39 GAA.
It’s Season Ticket Holder Appreciation Night Season at The Graveyard. All season ticket holders are invited to bring guests for $1. All season ticket holders will also be entered in a raffle which will occur at halftime (must be present to win). Hot dogs are also $1 all night long. For more information on promotions at 2018 home matches, click here.
SCOUTING WOFFORD
This will mark the first matchup against the Terriers since the 2012 season for Carolina. Wofford was picked to finish fifth out of seven teams in the SoCon Preseason Poll, voted on by the league’s coaches, after going 4-15 overall and 4-6 in league play in 2017. Junior forward Lucas Altman was a preseason all-conference selection after leading the team in points (13) and goals (6) in 2017. Altman has started all six matches for the Terriers in 2018. He leads the team in shots (9) but has not managed to score any points yet. Connor Donohue leads the team with three points (1G. 1A). Wofford has scored three goals in six matches so far. They defeated Winthrop, 1-0, Sept. 2 in Rock Hill, S.C. The Terriers also drew 0-0 in their match at Gardner-Webb (Aug. 31). The Gamecocks beat the Runnin’ Bulldogs 4-2 in the exhibition finale (Aug. 18). Redshirt freshman Shane Berson, a transfer from UCF, has started five of the team’s six games at goalkeeper. He’s made 11 saves (0.611 save percentage) while allowing seven goals (1.31 GAA) with two shutouts. He was tabbed the SoCon Player of the Week Sept. 4 after going 1-1-1 with a pair of shutouts the second week of the season. Berson made six saves on 22 shots faced in three matches.
NO. 1 IN THE NATION
As of Sept. 16, the Gamecocks lead the country in national attendance, averaging 4,312 fans per game. Carolina is the only team in the nation averaging over 4,000 fans per contest. The Gamecocks, who ranked No. 3 in national attendance average in 2017 (2,900 fans per game), have finished in the top-10 for attendance in each of the past four seasons.
OVARIAN CANCER AWARENESS MONTH
The South Carolina men’s soccer team is supporting Ovarian Cancer Awareness all month long in September by wearing teal warmup jerseys for their matches. In addition to the teal warm up jerseys, the Gamecock coaching staff and support staff is wearing teal polo shirts.
The team’s hope is to promote awareness for this cancer and encourage women to get regular checkups. Contact your local ovarian cancer support group for more information at 888-682-7426 or visit the National Ovarian Cancer Coalition’s website at http://www.ovarian.org. Remember, NO ONE FIGHTS ALONE!
UP NEXT
The Gamecocks hit the road for a weekend matchup at No. 20 Old Dominion (4-1-1, 2-0-0 C-USA) in conference play. Kickoff is slated for 2 p.m. ET on Sunday (Sept. 23) and the matched will be streamed live on CUSA.tv.
