Sept. 11, 2014
South Carolina Hosts UNC Wilmington
Eugene E. Stone III Stadium – Columbia, S.C.
Fri., Sept. 12, 7 PM
Live Audio | SEC Network + Video | | @GamecockMSoccer
Brad Muller’s feature on Jeff Addai
South Carolina Team Notes
- Sophomore goalkeeper Marco Velez won two honors, the Conference USA Defensive Player of the Week and the Disney Soccer/NSCAA Player of the Week on Sept. 8-9.
- It’s Velez’s second C-USA weekly honor, matching his award on Oct. 28, 2013, as a freshman.
- He’s the first national player of the week for SC since Bradlee Baladez took the College Soccer News award on Oct. 4, 2010.
- The last Gamecock to earn NSCAA Player of the Week was Ayo Akinsete on Oct. 25, 2006.
- Senior defender Mahamoudou Kaba took a spot on CSN’s Team of the Week, the first national honor of his this year.
- Kaba also garnered the C-USA Preseason Defensive Player of the Year award.
- Ranked 17th in the latest NSCAA/Continental Tire poll, South Carolina is ranked for the first time since the last regular season poll of 2011 (23rd).
- South Carolina has taken its last three meetings against a ranked team (No. 25 New Mexico on 10/26/13, No. 10 UAB on 11/3/13, No. 25 Clemson on 9/2/14).
- With its 3-0 start, South Carolina is off to its best season beginning since 2004, when it won its first four matches.
- The Gamecocks stand with an all-time record of 454-200-68 (.676).
Berson Trying to Move up NCAA Coaching Wins List
- The only head coach in South Carolina men’s soccer history, Mark Berson ranks as one of four coaches in NCAA Division I history with 450 wins at one institution.
- His next win ties him with former SMU coach Schellas Hyndman for 7th on the NCAA Division I wons list and 18th on the all-divisions listing.
- Berson owns 465 career wins, which includes his 11 in 1977 at The Citadel.
- He’s coached 11 players who have captured 13 All-America nods at South Carolina.
Troyer Named a Senior CLASS Award Candidate
- On Sept. 2, the Senior CLASS Award announced its 30 candidates for its men’s award, naming Gamecock Braeden Troyer to the list.
- Troyer leads all SC returners with 10 career goals, tied for seventh in Gamecock history during the Conference USA era (since 2005).
- Twice he’s been named to the C-USA All-Academic Team, and he has three All-C-USA nods, (`12 second team, `11 & `13 third team).
- He also made the 2011 Conference USA All-Freshman Team and has been honored once on the College Soccer News Team of the Week (Sept. 29, 2013).
- On two occasions, CoSIDA has voted him on the Capital One Academic All-District 4 team.
- In the classroom, he’s been a member of the Honors College at South Carolina and earned three C-USA Academic Medals, given to student-athletes with a 3.75 GPA.
- He’s a co-captain in 2014 (along with Mahamoudou “Mo” Kaba).
South Carolina Celebrating 10 Years in Conference USA
- The 2014 season is South Carolina’s 10th as a men’s soccer affiliate member of Conference USA.
- In 2011, the Garnet and Black captured the league’s regular-season crown, sharing it with UAB.
- Twice, the Gamecocks have won the league’s tournament (2005 and 2010).
- South Carolina’s student-athletes have taken 40 all-league nods, with 14 coming on the first team.
- In C-USA outings, South Carolina owns a 35-23-16 (.581) mark. At Stone Stadium, that record is 19-11-6 (.611).
The Gamecocks Shine in the Classroom as Well
- South Carolina’s 18 returners have a total of 30 SEC Academic Honor Roll certificates and 31 Conference USA Academic Honor Roll notations between them.
- Of those, 10 are Conference USA Academic Medal mentions, which is awarded to student-athletes with a 3.75 cumulative GPA or higher.
- Four of the seniors, Robert Beebe, Mahamoudou “Mo” Kaba, Asa Kryst and Braeden Troyer have three certificates each.
- Troyer has three of those Academic Medals, while both Ryan Arambula and Jeffrey Torda have two.
We Scheduled Strong Foes
- Of the 17 regular-season matches scheduled this season for the Gamecocks, 12 come against top-100 RPI teams in the final 2013 report from the NCAA.
- Seven rank in the top 50, four from C-USA (Charlotte, UAB, Old Dominion & New Mexico).
- Four foes made the NSCAA/Continental Tire Preseason Top 25, well, 26 when you count Old Dominion tying for the 25th spot with Navy.
- The Gamecocks are 1-0-0 against a ranked team in 2014, beating No. 25/18 Clemson.
Scouting UNC Wilmington
- The Seahawks enter Friday’s contest with a 2-1-1 record, dropping their last outing against Winthrop 2-1.
- UNC Wilmington has tallied six goals while shooting 60 times, 24 on goal, in four matches.
- Only one starter departed from last year’s 9-6-2, third-place finishing team in the CAA.
- Five different Seahawks have goals this year, including junior Colin Bonner, last year’s leading scorer with six goals and three assists.
- Senior Jamie Dell also returns with his team-best four assists to go with four goals.
- Redshirt junior David Sizemore is the only Seahawk with one goal and one assist this year.
- Sophomore goalkeeper Sean Melvin has handled the net minding this year, posting one shutout with his 0.91 goals against average in 396 minutes.
- As a freshman, he tallied two clean sheets in 12 matches, compiling a 1.76 GAA in 1,024 minutes.
Series History vs. UNC Wilmington
- South Carolina is 7-1-1 all-time against the Seahawks, including a 4-0 mark at home.
- The Gamecocks have won the last four meetings in 1983, 1984, 2004 and 2005.
- Only once has South Carolina not tallied at least two goals in a match against UNCW (10/31/1982).
Gamecocks Have a Rich History in NCAA Tournament
- On 20 occasions, the Gamecocks made an NCAA Tournament, the most in Conference USA.
- Eleven times, the Gamecocks made the NCAA Tournament Round of 16.
- South Carolina is 16-19-1 in the tourney, making two College Cups in 1988 and 1993.
Recent Dominance of Archrival Clemson
- Since 2007, the Gamecocks are 6-2 against their archrivals, with both of the losses coming in double overtime on the road (2011 & 2013).
- The last four matches at Stone Stadium have gone to the Gamecocks, three coming in shutouts.
- It’s the best stretch since the Gamecocks went 10-4 from 1985-95 against the Tigers, with three of the wins in that stretch coming in NCAA Tournament play.
Roster Notes
- South Carolina brought back 18 letter-winners to go with nine newcomers for 2014.
- The Gamecocks return 80 percent of their goals and 76 percent of their assists from last year.
- Included in that returning group is the top-two goal scorers (Jeffrey Torda and Mahamoudou Kaba) and the top-two assist distributors (Kurtis Turner and Ryan Arambula).
- Only one goalkeeper of three who played in 2013 is not back from last year (Chris Duzan, 30:19).
- Four Conference USA award winners return, including defenders Kaba and Braeden Troyer as well as 2013 All-Freshman Team members Turner (midfielder) and Marco Velez (goalkeeper).
- Both Kaba and Troyer made the C-USA Preseason team, with Kaba garnering the Defensive Player of the Year title.
Notes from SC’s Season Opening Win vs. Belmont
- Kurtis Turner’s 25-yard rebound in the 106th put SC over Belmont, SC’s 31st season-opening win.
- The Gamecocks outshot the Bruins 26-5 and had a 14-0 advantage in corner kicks.
- None of Belmont’s shots came on goal, while the Gamecocks made BU’s keeper make seven stops.
- The attendance of 5,415 ranks as the 4th-best in Stone Stadium history and 8th in site history.
