Gamecocks Set To Face FIU In C-USA Tournament

NORFOLK, VA. —- South Carolina men’s soccer returns to the Conference USA Tournament on Wednesday as the No. 6 seed when it takes on No. 3 seed FIU at the Old Dominion Soccer Complex in Norfolk, Va. Kickoff is set for 7:00 p.m. ET on ESPN+.
 
The Gamecocks notably handed the Panthers their first loss of the season in a Nov. 1 match at Stone Stadium to earn their spot in the tournament. Freshman Brian Banahan’s goal at the 51-minute mark proved to be the difference in the 1-0 match.
 
The winner of Wednesday’s match will move on to face No. 2 seed Charlotte at 7:00 p.m. ET on ESPN+ on Friday. The Championship match is set for 1:00 p.m. ET on Sunday on ESPN+.

Carolina has faced one of the tougher schedules in the country up to this point. Including exhibition matches, the Gamecocks have faced seven teams who were receiving top-25 votes or were ranked at the time of their match (Duke, Clemson, UCF, Charlotte, NC State, Kentucky and FIU). 
 
As of the latest polls, South Carolina has played two top-five teams (No. 1 Clemson and No. 5 UCF) and six top-25 opponents (No. 1 Clemson, No. 5 UCF, No. 13 Marshall, No. 15 Kentucky, No. 17 Charlotte and No. 23 FIU).
 
Head coach Mark Berson enters his 42nd season as head coach for Carolina. He’s been the only coach for the program since its first season in 1978. He is the active wins leader in NCAA Division I Men’s Soccer with 514 career victories and is one of just four coaches all-time to hit the 500-win plateau. 
 
WATCH

• Fans can watch Wednesday’s match on ESPN+. A link to the broadcast can be found at the top of the story

FIU SERIES NOTES

• Carolina leads the all-time series 15-1-5 in a set that dates back to 1987.
• The Gamecocks have outscored the Panthers 43-20 all-time.
• South Carolina is 8-1-2 all-time in Columbia.
• FIU’s lone win came in 2017 with a 5-2 victory.
• Carolina is 3-1-1 in its last five matches in the series.

FIU SCOUT

• FIU comes in with a 9-2-5 record, including a 4-1-3 mark on the road.
• The Panthers last loss prior to the Carolina defeat came on Nov. 7 of 2018 at the hands of Marshall in the C-USA Tournament.
• Head coach Kevin Nylen is in his third year leading the Panthers.
• FIU’s last win came on Oct. 13 at Kentucky.
• The Panthers are 1-2-1 in their past five matches.

PLAYING WAS HOME AS BEEN SWEET

• Carolina was an impressive 7-2-2 at home this season with three overtime victories.
• The Gamecocks had an 18-10 advantage in goals.
• Brian Banahan and a team-best 13 points at home this year with six goals. Tucker Monheimer is just behind with five points.
• CJ Mitchell-Smith has played well at home, too, with three goals so far while Luca Mayr has sent two home, as well.
• Thus far more than 19,000 fans have attended matches at Stone Stadium. That’s seventh best in the nation as of last Monday.

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