Upstate Plays Host To Presbyterian Sunday
9/26/2008 12:00:00 AM | Men's Soccer
Sept. 26, 2008
Upstate vs. Presbyterian Game Notes in PDF Format
Spartanburg, S.C. - When USC Upstate and Presbyterian take the field Sunday afternoon at County University Soccer Stadium, they will do so for the 20th time in the series between the two schools. Upstate owns the lead in the all-time series, holding a 13-4-2 advantage. The Spartans have outscored the Blue hose 42-17 in the series.
Upstate won the inaugural meeting between the two schools, a 9-1 decision on Sept. 12, 1980. Presbyterian won the last meeting, a 2-1 win over the Spartans last year in Clinton.
Upstate enters Sunday's game with a 1-6-0 record and is looking to break a six-game losing streak and a five-game scoreless streak. Presbyterian has lost its last three games and enters the contest with a 1-6-1 record. The game can be seen live on the internet on ASun.TV at the ASun.TV here. Fans can also get live statistical updates using Gametracker via the official Upstate Athletics Web site by clicking Gametracker here.
Looking Back At Georgia Southern
Upstate and Georgia Southern battled to a scoreless tie for the first 30 minutes of the game last Wednesday before the Eagles were awarded a penalty kick after a player was taken down in the box. Fredrik Langseth converted the penalty kick for the eventual game-winning goal as the Eagles took a 2-0 win over the Spartans in Statesboro.
Georgia Southern added a late goal to push the lead to an insurmountable 2-0 mark as Upstate suffered its sixth straight loss of the season and pushed its scoreless streak to five games.
Happy To Return Home
Upstate kicked off the season with a 3-2 win over Brewton-Parker at the friendly confines of County University Soccer Stadium on Aug. 29. The Spartans then played six straight games on the road, losing all six times. Upstate returns home Sunday for the first time in almost a month to face Presbyterian at 2:00 p.m. Upstate hopes to make a happy return home as the Spartans are 56-12-3 all-time at County University Soccer Stadium.
Upstate's Not Having Fun Streaking
When Upstate takes to the field Sunday afternoon against Presbyterian, it will look to put an end to two ugly streaks currently intact with the Spartans. First, Upstate has dropped its last six games of the season following the season-opening win over Brewton-Parker. The six-game losing streak has now become the second longest losing streak in school history, short of the eight-game losing skid suffered a year ago to open the season.
In addition to the six-game losing streak, Upstate looks to put an end to its scoreless streak, which has reached five games. The Spartans last scored a goal in the 67th minute of the 2-1 loss at Georgia State on Sept. 8. The five-game scoreless streak is the longest such streak in school history, breaking the school record of five games set last season to end the year.
When It Rains, It Pours
With senior team captain and defensive leader Nick Buxton sidelined with a leg injury for the last three games, Upstate received bad news earlier this week as red-shirt freshman Philipp Soppa was diagnosed with two broken bones in his left cheek as a result of being kicked in the face during the game with Furman last Sunday and will miss the remainder of the season. Soppa received his first collegiate start against Furman and played solidly as a right marking back before the injury in the first half.
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 26 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 275-93-23 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.
