Upstate Plays Host To ETSU Sunday Night
10/17/2008 12:00:00 AM | Men's Soccer
Oct. 17, 2008
Upstate vs. ETSU Game Notes in PDF Format
Spartanburg, S.C. - Upstate will knock off the rust from not playing in a week to take on East Tennessee State University Sunday night at 7:00 at County University Soccer Stadium. The game can be seen live on the internet at www.asun.tv. Fans can also get live statistical updates using Gametracker via the official Upstate Athletics Web site, www.upstatespartans.com. With ETSU in its first season playing men's soccer, this is the first meeting between the two schools.
Upstate enters the game on an 11-game losing streak and a 1-11-0 overall record. ETSU enters the contest with a 4-7-0 record. The Bucs won four of their first six games, but have lost the last five. Both Upstate and ETSU are looking for its first A-Sun win on the year, with both standing 0-4-0 on the season.
Alex Garcev and Erkan Yildirim are tied atop the scoring list for Upstate entering the ETSU game. Both have scored two goals and dished out two assists for six points on the year. ETSU is led in scoring by Sean Hoek who has three goals for six points on the season. Patrick Regna has turned in a strong year in goal for the Spartans, despite what the stats say, and leads the team with 64 saves. James Holt lead the Bucs in goal, also with 64 saves.
Looking Back At Belmont & Lipscomb
Upstate turned in a solid offensive outing at Belmont on Oct. 9 before falling, 2-1, to the Bruins at Brentwood High School just outside of Nashville, Tenn. The Spartans fell behind 2-0 in the game, one on a penalty kick goal, before Hakeem King scored his first collegiate goal with under two minutes to play in the game to get Upstate within one.
At Lipscomb on Sunday, Oct. 11, Upstate goalkeeper Patrick Regna made a tremendous save on a penalty kick early in the first half, but the Bisons came back to score three first half goals to cruise to a 4-1 win in Nashville. Chad McCoy scored Upstate's goal to move into third place on the team with four points.
Looking For A No-No
Since moving to the NCAA DI level a year ago, the Upstate men's soccer team has posted several NCAA DI firsts. However, the Spartans have yet to record a shutout in the young DI era. In addition to looking for its first DI shutout, the Spartans are also looking for their first DI tie.
Injury Woes Hurt Upstate
Upstate goalkeeper Patrick Regna has played 892 of 1080 total minutes for the Spartans this season. He has faced 168 shots, due in part because of the massive amount of injuries that have plagued Upstate in 2008. The defense alone has suffered the most difficulty.
The Spartans began the year with Nick Buxton, Christian Peterson, Ben Brannan and Chris McCoy playing in the defense. Buxton has not played since the Sept. 12 game at Winthrop. Peterson has had nagging injuries for the last month and has missed two of the last three games. McCoy has dealt with a groin injury throughout the season and needed the last week off just to try to recuperate. Finally, Philip Soppa received the first start of his career on Sept. 21 against Furman in place of Buxton and had to leave the game early on after being kicked in the head. He suffered a serious concussion and is forced to sit out the remainder of the season after having surgery to repair two broken bones in his cheek. Several other players have also missed practice or game time due to injuries, making a tough year even more difficult.
Multi-National Team Takes The Field
USC Upstate is no stranger to having international players on its men's soccer team and the 2008 version of the Spartans is no different. Players on the team represent seven different countries including the United States, Canada, England, Germany, Norway, Peru and Trinidad. Of the 25 players listed on the roster, 11 are from foreign nations.
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 56-15-3 at the friendly confines of County University Soccer Stadium for a winning percentage of .777. Overall, Upstate is 224-48-13 at home for an .809 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.
Hooks An Accomplished Field Leader
USC Upstate head coach Greg Hooks has had an accomplished 21-year coaching career. He has a career record of 275-98-23 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 188 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.
