Mark Berson, one of three coaches all-time to post 450 victories while an NCAA Division I head coach, begins his 36th season at the helm of the South Carolina soccer program in 2013. Below are some of Berson and the team's accomplishments:
Berson's Accomplishments:
• 32 winning seasons in 36 years coaching at the Division I level
• No. 1 among active coaches in victories (455) while a Division I head coach
• No. 3 all-time in victories (455) while a Division I head coach
• 20 NCAA Tournament appearances, including 19 in last 28 seasons (.679)
• One of only three coaches to collect at least 450 victories while a Division I head coach
• Tied for the most NCAA Division I Men's Soccer Tournament appearances among active coaches (20)*
• Tied for sixth all-time in NCAA Division I Men's Soccer Tournament appearances (20)#
• 15th among active coaches in winning percentage, .679, while a Division I head coach
• Among NCAA men's soccer coaches across all divisions, has the 18th-most victories all-time
• 2011 Conference USA Coach of the Year
• In just eight seasons competing in the league, has earned two Conference USA Tournament titles (2005, 2010), one regular-season title (2011)
• 1998 Independent Coach of the Year
• Four-time NSCAA South Region Coach of the Year
• Member of the South Carolina Youth Soccer Association's Hall of Fame (1992)
• United States Soccer National Instructional Staff Coach (1989-2012)
• U.S. National U-18 Team Coach (Granatkin/Leningrad Tournament, Soviet Union - 1989)
Team Accomplishments:
• 20 NCAA Tournament appearances, including 19 in last 28 seasons (.679)
• NCAA Tournament Finals (1993); Semifinals (1988, 1993); Quarterfinals (1985, 1988, 1989, 1993); Round of 16 (2010)
• Four conferences titles in 10 seasons competing under a conference affiliation
• One of three collegiate programs to have had a player on each of the last three United States World Cup teams
• Over 50 Gamecocks have been drafted into or entered professional soccer
• 11 individual All-Americans and two National Goalkeepers of the Year
• 45 individuals have combined for 70 NSCAA All-South Region honors
• 16 individuals have earned 19 national academic awards
• In just eight seasons in the league, 13 First-Team All-Conference USA selections
• One Conference USA co-MVP and co-Player of the Year (Blake Brettschneider, 2010)
• Three Conference USA Freshman of the Year honorees (Jimmy Maurer, 2007; Jeff Scannella, 2006; Mike Gustavson, 2005)
• One Conference USA Defensive Player of the Year (Greg Reece, 2005)
• One Conference USA Newcomer of the Year (Tyler Ruthven, 2007)
• Consistently posts among highest team GPAs in South Carolina Athletics Department
• In 2010, team earned NSCAA Top Team Academic Award
*based on information compiled from NCAA Division I men's soccer media relations contacts
#based on information compiled in the South Carolina Media Relations Office
Berson has been at South Carolina from the beginning. He was hired to move the program to varsity status in 1978, and he quickly put Carolina on the map. He has gone on to mold the Gamecocks into consistent winners that compete for championships.
Before coming to Carolina in 1978, Berson went 11-5-0 in one season at The Citadel, making his overall record 455-198-63, a winning percentage of 67.9 percent. In 2006, Berson became one of five active (at that time) Division I coaches and the 10th all-time to reach the 400-victory milestone when his Gamecocks defeated UAB, 2-0, in a televised contest at Stone Stadium. Berson now has a 444-193-63 record at South Carolina.
Berson has made his mark on the college soccer world by taking the Gamecocks to 20 NCAA Tournaments. The Gamecocks have advanced to at least the second round 11 times and have four quarterfinal and two semifinal appearances. In 1993, the Gamecocks advanced to the NCAA Championship game.
Though Carolina has been independent during the majority of the program's tenure, the Gamecocks have captured four conference titles under Berson's leadership. Carolina won the 1993 Metro Conference Championship in one of its two years competing in the conference. The Gamecocks joined Conference USA in 2005 and promptly claimed the league's tournament championship and automatic berth to the NCAA Tournament, while Carolina also won the C-USA Championship Tournament in 2010 and collected the regular season championship in 2011.
South Carolina saw continued success during the 2011 campaign, earning the Conference USA regular season crown with a stellar 6-1-1 mark in league contests. The Gamecocks earned an at-large bid to the NCAA Tournament and held hosting duties in the event's first round. Several Gamecocks earned postseason accolades from the league and NSCAA, including C-USA First Team member Bradlee Baladez and All-Freshman honoree Braeden Troyer.
South Carolina won the 2010 Conference USA Tournament Championship, earning the No. 7 national seed in the NCAA Tournament en route to a first-round bye. The home field advantage propelled the Gamecocks to a 1-0 win over Duke during the second round, advancing the squad to the Round of 16. South Carolina concluded the season ranked No. 12 in the final NSCAA Top 25 Poll, while the team also earned the NSCAA's top team academic award.
South Carolina is very successful in its recruiting, bringing in a top-20 recruiting class in 2006, while in 2007 the South Carolina recruiting class ranked No. 10, the 2008 class ranked No. 14, the 2009 class No. 23, the 2010 class ranked No. 16 and the most recent 2011 class ranked No. 11 in the nation according to CollegeSoccerNews.com.
Besides making an impact in collegiate soccer, Berson's presence is also felt within the professional ranks. The Gamecocks are one of only three collegiate programs to have had a player on each of the last three United States World Cup teams. Former Gamecock Josh Wolff competed on the United States World Cup team for the second time during the summer of 2006 and was also an Olympic team member in 2000. Clint Mathis, a teammate of Wolff during his time at Carolina, also enjoyed a celebrated professional career that spanned 11 seasons in Major League Soccer. Mathis, who retired from professional soccer in 2010, was a member of the 2002 U.S. World Cup squad and helped his MLS team, Real Salt Lake, capture the MLS Cup in 2009. Mathis also graced the cover of Sports Illustrated in May 2002 prior to the World Cup, marking the third Gamecock athlete, in any sport, to be featured on the cover of the prestigious magazine. Former Gamecock goalkeeper Brad Guzan was also honored during the summer of 2010 with a roster spot on the U.S. Men's National Team for the 2010 FIFA World Cup in South Africa.
Most recently, Blake Brettschneider, the 2010 C-USA Co-MVP and Co-Offensive MVP, has made his mark in MLS as a member of DC United (2012) and the New England Revolution (2012). Former Gamecock defender Tyler Ruthven is also playing in MLS with the New York Red Bulls in 2012 and former goalkeeper Jimmy Maurer is playing internationally for Universidad de Concepcion in the Chilean Premier League this season.
In January 2005, Guzan made MLS history when he was the No. 2 overall pick in the MLS SuperDraft, selected by CD Chivas USA. Guzan became the highest goalkeeper ever drafted into the league. In the fall of 2007, he was selected as the 2007 Panasonic MLS Goalkeeper of the Year. He received his first invitation to the U.S. National Team Camp in January 2006 and was selected to the 2008 U.S. Olympic Team that competed in Beijing as the starting goalkeeper. In 2004, goalkeeper Henry Ring enjoyed a breakout season representing the Garnet and Black in the MLS All-Star game and starting in goal for the East.
Most recently three Gamecocks were selected in the 2011 MLS Supplemental Draft, as Sam Arthur (Chicago Fire), Brettschneider (DC United) and Jimmy Maurer (New York Red Bulls) were drafted following their senior seasons at Carolina.
Berson led Carolina to a 113-39-12 mark (.726) in the 1990s, which rated the Gamecocks as one of the winningest programs in NCAA Division I soccer. In 1998, Berson earned the inaugural Independent Coach of the Year award after leading Carolina to the best record of all Independent schools.
Berson has also been honored as the National Soccer Coaches Association (NSCAA) Coach of the Year in the South on four occasions (1984, 1985, 1988, 1995).
Under his leadership, 19 Gamecocks have been selected to represent South Carolina in either the MLS Combine, the ISAA Senior Bowl or the UMBRO Select All-Star Classic. Included in that group are Brettschneider (2011), Maurer (2011), Mike Sambursky (2006), Josh Alcala (2005), Guzan (2004), Tim Glowienka (2003), Jordan Quinn (2003), Joey Worthen (2002), Chris Morman (1999), Mathis (1997), Billy Clifford (1995), Andrew Coggins (1991), Tommy Loeber (1990), Charles Arndt (1988), Doug Allison (1987), Bill Hency (1986), Warren Lipka (1985) David Burr, (1982) and Paul Turin (1979). Two of those players, Lipka and Arndt, were honored as National Goalkeeper of the Year in 1985 and 1988, respectively.
Berson's success has ranged beyond the college ranks, as 53 South Carolina players have been drafted into or entered professional soccer since 1978, while Gamecock players have represented the United States on the U.S. Olympic team, the U.S. National team, the National "B" team, the U.S. Under-20 and Under-23 teams, the World University Games squad, and the U.S. Olympic Festival teams. Berson has coached 11 individual NSCAA All-Americans (Doug Allison, Marty Baltzeger, Charles Arndt, Clark Brisson, Tommy Loeber, Chris Faklaris, Rob Smith, Mathis, Henry Ring, Guzan and Greg Reece), 11 individual Academic All-Americans (Peter Duitsman, Greg King, Jeff Love (twice), Pat Mihm, Phil Seidenberg, Loeber, Ruben Tufino, Arthur (second team/third team) Maurer (second team/first team), Brettschneider (third team) and Will Traynor (third team) and Soccer America's Freshman of the Year (Tufino). Duitsman was also named the Boyd McWhorter SEC Male Scholar Athlete of the Year in 1994.
Berson has been involved in soccer development as a coach, teacher and administrator on many levels. He is a U.S. Soccer National Instructional Staff Coach with an "A" coaching license and has served as a US Soccer National Instructional staff coach since 1989. He has served as State Coach for the South Carolina Youth Soccer Association (SCYSA), working in player development and coaching certification. In 1992, he was inducted into the South Carolina Youth Soccer Association Hall of Fame.
Berson also coached the U.S. National U-18 team in the Granatkin/Leningrad Tournament in January 1989, in the Soviet Union. In July 1987, he directed the South team to the gold medal in the U.S. Olympic Festival in Durham, N.C., one year after serving as an assistant coach for the South squad.
Berson has served on the NCAA South Region Advisory Committee for the NCAA Tournament and the Division I Coaches Subcommittee for the National Soccer Coaches Association. He has also served as a scout for U.S. Soccer for the South Region. His Carolina Soccer Camp continues to be one of the country's finest soccer camps for children of all age groups and skill levels.
Berson began his coaching career when he joined the soccer staff at The Citadel in 1976 and served as an assistant coach under Eddie Teague. He took over the Bulldogs' head job the next season and led The Citadel to an 11-5-0 mark and a second-place finish in the Southern Conference.
Berson came to Columbia to start the varsity program in 1978 and promptly posted a 13-3-1 mark in his inaugural season with the Gamecocks. A year later, South Carolina finished with a 14-5-0 record and reached the NCAA Tournament for the first time. South Carolina has gone on to achieve a winning record in 31 of 35 seasons.
A 1971 graduate of Summit (N.J.) High School, Berson attended the University of North Carolina and received his bachelor of arts degree in journalism in 1975. Berson played on the Tar Heel soccer squad for four years, one as a midfielder and the other three in goal. As a senior, Berson received the UNC Educational Foundation Award and was a member of the Academic ACC Honor Roll. Berson earned his master's of education degree in sport administration from Ohio University in 1977.
Born March 16, 1953, in Hartford, Conn., Berson is married to the former Shauna Hopkins, a South Carolina alum, of Columbia. They have two children, Erin Rhea, and Luke William. Erin graduated from South Carolina in 2009, and Luke is currently enrolled at the University of South Carolina in the Moore School of Business.
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