Upstate Takes On Georgia Southern Wednesday In Statesboro
9/22/2008 12:00:00 AM | Men's Soccer
Sept. 22, 2008
Upstate vs. Georgia Southern Notes in PDF Format
Spartanburg, S.C. - USC Upstate and Georgia Southern meet for just the second time on Wednesday as the Spartans travel to Statesboro, Ga., to take on the Eagles. Georgia Southern owns the slim one-game lead in the series, having claimed a 1-0 victory over Upstate on Oct. 10 last year in Spartanburg.
Upstate enters the game with a 1-5-0 record and on a five-game losing streak and four-game scoreless streak. Georgia Southern enters the contest with a 1-4-0 record having lost three in a row.
Looking Back At The Wofford/Nike Classic
Upstate made the short 3.5-mile trip down Pine Street to Wofford Friday and Sunday to take on Wofford and Furman in the Wofford/Nike Classic, coming away with two tough losses.
In the tournament opener Friday night, Upstate allowed a goal in each half to fall to Wofford, 2-0, before a crowd of 511. In the tourney finale Sunday for Upstate, the Spartans gave up two goals in the first half en route to a 5-0 loss to the Paladins. Already playing the tournament without the services of senior and captain Nick Buxton, Upstate suffered another loss as Philipp Soppa was accidentally kicked in the face and had to leave the game and, later, be taken to the hospital. He was diagnosed with two fractured bones in his face, a concussion and broken teeth. With Soppa's injury and the game in hand for Furman, head coach Greg Hooks went deep into his bench to play a number of people in the second half.
Looking For Second Half Improvement
Through the first six games of the season, a trend has started to emerge as the Spartans have played solidly in the first half, then lose focus and give up goals in the second. Of the 17 goals scored on Upstate this season, 12 have come during the second half of play. Upstate has given up just five goals in the first half, two coming against Furman last Sunday.
Upstate Looks To End Losing & Scoreless Streak
When Upstate goes on streaks, the streaks are typically winning streaks and contain many good things to talk about. However, the Spartans are in the midst of two streaks that the team would like to end against Georgia Southern, a five-game losing streak and a four-game scoreless streak.
Upstate opened the season with a 3-2 win over Brewton-Parker, then dropped its next five contests to Georgia State, Winthrop, Gardner-Webb, Wofford and Furman. Following the Spartans' 2-1 loss at Georgia State on Sept. 8, Upstate has not scored in its last four games.
The five-game losing streak is tied for the second longest losing streak in school history, matching the five straight losses to end last season. Upstate opened the 2007 season with eight straight losses to set the school record. The four-game scoreless streak matches the school record also set a year ago during the five-game losing streak at the end of the season.
Hooks Reaches Milestone Victory
On the way to win No. 300, Upstate head coach Greg Hooks has reached a milestone by winning his 275th game in his 21-year career as a head coach at Upstate. Hooks is now 25 wins away from reaching the 300-win plateau. In addition, he has won 188 games in his 14 years at Upstate and is just 12 shy of reaching the 200-win plateau at the University.
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 eight different countries including the United States, Canada, England, Germany, Hungary, Norway, Peru and Trinidad. Of the 27 players listed on the roster, 14 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 56-12-3 at the friendly confines of County University Soccer Stadium for a winning percentage of .810. Overall, Upstate is 224-45-13 at home for an .817 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 275-92-23 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.
