USC Upstate Men's Soccer Hits the Road at Mercer and Campbell This Week
10/16/2007 12:00:00 AM | Men's Soccer
Oct. 16, 2007
Weekly Release in PDF Format
Download Free Acrobat Reader
SPARTANBURG, S.C. - USC Upstate makes its last long road trip of the season this weekend, traveling to Mercer Thursday night and Campbell Saturday evening in a pair on Atlantic Sun Conference games. The Mercer game will be available on ASun.TV.
Upstate and Mercer have played each other just once in the series. Upstate claimed a 4-0 victory over the Bears in Macon 25 years ago in 1982. Mercer enters the week with a 5-9-0 overall record and a 1-5-0 mark in the A-Sun. The Bears have lost their last three games, including dropping a 2-1 decision to Lipscomb and a 2-0 loss to Belmont, both schools Upstate defeated at home two weeks ago.
Upstate and Campbell have played twice in the series that dates back to the 1990 season. The series is tied at 1-1 and Upstate leads in scoring, 8-6. The Camels took a 5-3 victory over Upstate in Buies Creek in 1990, while Upstate countered with a 5-1 win at old Rifle Field in 1991. Campbell enters the week with a 7-4-1- overall record and a 3-2-1 mark in the A-Sun, tied for second in the league with Lipscomb. The Camels are 2-2 in the last four games, winning at home, 2-1, against Jacksonville, losing at home to North Florida, 1-0, taking a 2-1 overtime victory at Belmont and dropping a 3-2 decision at Lipscomb.
Ridgeway Vaults to the Top of the List
Senior midfielder Carter Ridgeway is in the midst of his best season at Upstate. He came to Upstate after a stellar high school career and finished his four years as Spartanburg County's all-time leading scorer. However, his transition to college-level soccer was slow his freshman season. He came into his own late in his sophomore year and became a key cog in the Spartan attack last year.
Arguably the hardest working player on the team, Ridgeway is not only a leader on the team, he has now become Upstate's most potent offensive player. He showed his prowess at scoring goals last Sunday when he found the back of the net twice to lift Upstate to a 2-1 victory at Gardner-Webb. His first goal came from a side-spinning, downward-dipping shot from 25 yards out and his second was on a one-on-one situation with the Bulldog keeper.
Ridgeway now has seven points on three goals and an assist to take the team lead in scoring. He made Upstate history as the first player to score a goal in the Division I era. He entered the season with 11 total points, notching an assist as a freshman and two assists as a sophomore before breaking out as a junior in 2006 with a goal and six assists for eight points.
Hooks an Accomplished Field Leader
USC Upstate head coach Greg Hooks has had an accomplished 20-year coaching career. He has a career record of 274-82-23 with coaching stints at Spartanburg Methodist (1985), Lees-McRae (1986-87), University of Charleston (1991-94), and USC Upstate (1995-present). He started the programs at both Lees-McRae and University of Charleston, leading both programs to national rankings. He took over the Upstate program in 1995 and coached the team to an appearance in the NCAA Division II National Championship game and returned the team to the title game in 1998. He has led Upstate to 184 victories, five Peach Belt Conference regular season championships, six Peach Belt Conference Tournament titles, and five NCAA Tournament appearances. Hooks ended his reign in NCAA Division II as the division's second winningest coach all-time and currently ranks 20th all-time in the history of the NCAA, regardless of division standing.
Spartan Soccer - A Story of Success
While the USC Upstate Athletics Department has had a storied history of success throughout its existence, the men's soccer program has achieved success on a more consistent level than any other program at the University. Upstate men's soccer finished third in the NAIA National Tournament three straight years from 1983-85 and made 10 NCAA Tournament appearances in 16 years in the NCAA Division II. The Spartans claimed seven regular season Peach Belt Conference championships, nine Peach Belt Conference Tournament titles, and advanced to the championship game of the league tournament 14 times in 16 years.
Making a Stand in Conference Play
While Upstate struggled through the first part of the season, losing eight straight games to begin the season, the Spartans have rebounded in Atlantic Sun Conference play. Upstate opened league play with losses at North Florida and Jacksonville, but have rebounded to win three straight conference games to improve to 3-2-0 with nine points. The Spartans enter the week tied for fourth in the standings with Stetson and North Florida.
Spartans Strong at Home
Since moving into County University Soccer Stadium, the Upstate men's soccer program has been tough to beat. Actually, since the inception of the program in 1980, the Spartans have been stout on the Spartanburg campus.
Upstate is an impressive 54-11-3 at the friendly confines of County University Soccer Stadium for a winning percentage of .816. Overall, Upstate is 222-44-13 at home for an .819 winning percentage in Spartanburg.
Upstate played its first season in the quad behind the Administrative Building prior to moving to historic Rifle Field in 1981. The Spartans (then, the Rifles) tallied a 162-30-10 record for an .802 winning percentage at Rifle Field.
Buxton Receives Preseason Honors
Junior defender Nick Buxton was a preseason All-Conference selection by the A-Sun coaches. The Towcester, England, native was an All-Conference and All-Region selection last year for the Spartans. Although a defender, he finished as the fifth leading scorer on the team with nine points on three goals and three assists.
Dipping Below 2.00
Freshman goalkeeper Jason McCabe continues to improve with every game he plays. While making dramatic saves, many from close range, McCabe has steadily lowered his goals against average. For the first time this season, McCabe's GAA is under 2.00, coming in at 1.93 after allowing just two goals total in two games last week.
