Gamecocks Face UAB on Senior Night

COLUMBIA, S.C. — South Carolina (5-9, 0-5-0 C-USA) remains at home Friday night, welcoming in UAB (5-7-3, 2-4-1 C-USA) to Stone Stadium. Kickoff is set for 6 p.m. ET with three critical conference points on the line.
 
“This match is a big one for us in the conference,” said head coach Mark Berson. “We need points, and we have three conference games left. UAB is a very athletic and talented team. They’re excellent on set pieces, and they have a number of talented players. There’s a lot on the line for both teams in this match.”
 
It’s Senior Night for the Gamecocks, so fans are encouraged to get there early. Carolina will honor its five seniors, midfielder Peyton Ericson, stirker Bjorn Gudjonsson, goalkeeper Ian McGrane, defender Andre Streete and defender Paul Quildies, at midfield 15 minutes prior to the start of the match.
 
Ericson, Gudjonsson and Streete have been key contributors for the Gamecocks over the past four seasons and each played key roles on two NCAA Tournament teams in 2015 and 2016.
 
Carolina leads the all-time series with the Blazers, 13-5-1. The Gamecocks have won four-straight, all by the score of 1-0. Of the 19 all-time meetings between the two schools, 16 have been decided by one goal or less. Last season, Carolina won, 1-0, in Birmingham to punch its ticket to the 2017 C-USA Tournament. It was Berson’s 500^th career win as a head coach in NCAA Division I men’s soccer.

It’s Homecoming Weekend in Columbia, so all University of South Carolina alumni who wear their class ring to tomorrow night’s contest will receive $1 admission.

SCOUTING UAB  
The Blazers had no midweek game this week. They lost, 2-0, to Old Dominion in C-USA play at home in the team’s last outing (Oct. 21). It was just the fourth time they’ve been shutout in 15 matches during the 2018 season. Deandre Robinson leads the team in points with eight (3G, 2A). Three players are tied for the team lead in goals. Blake White leads the Blazers with 34 shots and 13 shots on goal. James Teal has played in 13 matches in goal, posting a 4-6-3 record. He’s made 35 saves (.714 save percentage) and allowed 14 goals (1.06 goals against average) to go alongside two shutouts. Teal is a redshirt sophomore and has started most of the team’s matches the past two seasons.

BUZZER BEATER 
Junior striker Luca Mayr scored the game-winning goal to knock-off No. 19 Virginia Tech, 2-1, in double overtime on the road in Blacksburg on Oct. 2. Sophomore Mitchell Myers intercepted a pass just inside midfield with time dwindling on the clock and found Mayr on the far sideline. The Steyr, Austria, native laced a shot from 30-yards out on target and found the back of the net far post with 19.4 seconds to go.

FOUR GOALS IN FOUR MINUTES
In South Carolina’s 5-0 shutout win against Wofford (Sept. 19), the Gamecocks scored four times in a 4 minute and 15 second stretch midway through the second half to break the game wide open. All five goals were scored by different players and two were unassisted.
 
It marked the most goals scored in a match by Carolina since a 5-4 win at FIU on Oct. 8, 2014. It’s also the 75th time the Gamecocks have scored five goals or more in the program’s 41 seasons of competition. The 5-0 score marked the widest margin of victory in a shutout since a 5-0 win at home against Gardner-Webb on Oct. 15, 2001.

NO. 5 IN HOME ATTENDANCE 
Through games played on Oct. 24, the Gamecocks rank fifth in the country in attendance average at 2,611 fans per game. Two of Carolina’s first three games this season currently rank in the top-15 for single-game attendance.
 
The season-opening crowd vs. No. 13 Georgetown (Aug. 24) drew 4,844 fans, the 10th largest crowd in NCAA Division I Men’s Soccer in 2018.  The Gamecocks’ annual rivalry game against Clemson (Aug. 31) drew 4,441 fans, the 15th biggest crowd. South Carolina welcomed 12,937 fans combined for its first three matches of the season (4,312 avg.).

OVARIAN CANCER AWARENESS MONTH
The South Carolina men’s soccer team supported 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 wore teal polo shirts. 
 
The team is promoting awareness for this cancer and encourages 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
Carolina concludes its 2018 home slate with another key C-USA matchup against Marshall (5-8-2,1-3-1) on Tuesday night (Oct. 30) at 5 p.m. ET. The Gamecocks then travel to FIU (7-7-0, 5-1-0 C-USA) for the regular season finale on Friday night (Nov. 2) at 7 p.m. ET on CUSA.tv.
 
It’s Trick or Treat Night at The Graveyard on Tuesday against the Thundering Herd and all fans in costume (no masks) receive $1 admission. The first 100 kids age 12 and under receive a special Gamecock Trick or Treat bucket as well.