Spartans Host Top Two A-Sun Teams This Weekend
10/15/2007 12:00:00 AM | Women's Soccer
Oct. 15, 2007
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SPARTANBURG, S.C. - USC Upstate (3-9-0, 1-5-0) will have its hands full this weekend when they take on the top two teams in the Atlantic Sun Conference this week. Upstate faces conference leader Kennesaw State (11-2-0, 6-0-0) this Friday night at 7p.m. at County University Soccer Stadium. The Spartans will turn around two days later and play second-place Mercer (7-5-1, 5-1-0) Sunday at 2 p.m. Upstate has never faced Mercer. Both games will be broadcasted on ASun.TV.
Upstate Notches First A-Sun Win
USC Upstate broke through for its first-ever Atlantic Sun Conference win last Thursday night defeating Campbell, 1-0, at County University Soccer Stadium. The Spartans scored the lone goal of the game early on in the third minute when freshman forward Alyssa Roegner scored her second goal of the season. The rest of the game was controlled by Upstate junior goalkeeper Samantha Spradley, who made 11 saves including knocking a ball over the crossbar on a shot from Campbell's Jenna Sullivan in the 62nd minute and recorded her first career shutout. Freshman forward Lindsay Schulz finished with an assist.
Upstate vs. Kennesaw State Series History
Upstate is no stranger to Kennesaw State. Both teams were members of NCAA Division II's Peach Belt Conference and faced each other three times from 2002-03. Kennesaw State leads the series 3-0 and the Spartans have not recorded a goal in either of those three games. Both programs are still relatively young with Upstate playing its first season in 2000 and Kennesaw State starting in 2002. The Owls, however, began their Division I transition status in 2004.
Spradley Solid in Goal Last Week
Junior goalkeeper Samantha Spradley had her best week as Spartan last week, collecting her first career shutout in the process. Spradley, a native of Fayetteville, Ga. and junior college transfer, made eight saves in Upstate's 1-0 win over Campbell last Thursday night. After the Spartans scored the games only goal early, Spradley kept the Camels off the board with several big saves, including knocking a shot over the crossbar in the 62nd minute. In Upstate's 2-0 loss at Gardner-Webb last Saturday, Spradley made 11 saves and held opponents scoreless for 196 minutes before the Bulldogs broke through with a goal in the 78th minute. Spradley has played in and started nine games this season and has made 69 saves, averaging 7.67 saves a game.
Pontillo, Verna Mainstays for Upstate
USC Upstate sophomore defender Liz Pontillo and junior defender Caroline Verna have made an impact since their first season at Upstate and have consistently been in the starting lineup as well. Pontillo and Verna each played in their 30th consecutive game this past Saturday at Gardner-Webb. Both players are also sporting the two longest consecutive games started streaks on the team. Pontillo has started every game except her first two and has run her streak to 28 consecutive games dating back to Sept. 2, 2006. Verna streak started on Sept. 22, 2006 and she has started 22 consecutive games. The record for games played and games started are 77 games set by Dawn Soule (2000-01, 03-04).
Upstate Successful at County University Soccer Stadium
Since County University Soccer Stadium was opened in 2001, USC Upstate has had a history of success at home. Upstate is 34-15-6 all-time at County University Soccer Stadium with a winning percentage of .673. The Spartans were 10-1-0 at home during the first season of play at County University Soccer Stadium in 2001, winning the Peach Belt Conference regular season championship. Since the program began in 2000, Upstate is 36-22-7 at home (.607 winning percentage).
Spreading the Wealth
USC Upstate has gotten contributions from all over the field so far this season. Through 12 games, 11 different Spartans have scored goals and 14 players have at-least one point. In 2006, only nine Upstate players scored goals and recorded points. Upstate has already tied its goals scored from last season as the Spartans tallied 22 goals in 2006 and has surpassed last season's marks of 15 assists and 59 points.
Reyes There From the Start
Not many coaches can say they were there when a women's soccer program was started and when it made its transition to Division I. USC Upstate head coach Kendall Reyes is the only women's soccer head coach in school history, arriving along with the program in 2000. Reyes has compiled a 66-65-13 record in eight seasons including a Peach Belt Conference regular season championship in 2001 and three seasons of 12 wins or more (2001, 2003, 2004). He was also named Peach Belt Conference Coach of the Year in 2001. In March 2007, Reyes was appointed to the position of State Technical Coordinator for Coaching Education by the National Soccer Coaches Association of America (NSCAA). He is the first and only person of color to hold the position in the organization. In addition, he was also appointed as an NSCAA National Staff Instructor in the summer of 2007.
