Spartans Set for Music City Tour
10/20/2010 12:00:00 AM | Men's Soccer
SPARTANBURG, S.C. – The USC Upstate men's soccer team will make its final road trip of the 2010 season as it travels to Nashville, Tenn., to face Atlantic Sun foes Lipscomb and Belmont.
The match against Lipscomb on Friday night is one of five Coaches vs. Cancer matches in the A-Sun this weekend and more info can be found below. Upstate and Belmont will square off on Sunday afternoon, with kick-off slated for 12:05 (CT)
In association with National Cancer Awareness Month, the A-Sun men's soccer programs have partnered with the Coaches vs. Cancer Foundation. In the five A-Sun men's soccer contests played on Thursday and Friday, all players competing will be wearing pink armbands and tape, while the coaches will be showing support by wearing pink polo shirts on the sidelines.
| 10/21/2010 | Campbell at Jacksonville - Jacksonville, FL 7:00PM |
| Mercer at UNF - Jacksonville, FL 7:00PM |
| 10/22/2010 | ETSU at Belmont - Nashville, TN 6:30PM (CT) |
| Stetson at FGCU - Fort Myers, FL 7:00PM | |
| USC Upstate at Lipscomb - Nashville, TN 7:00PM (CT) |
This is the first time all 10 Atlantic Sun teams have unified their efforts to one cause with the plan of having a Coaches vs. Cancer game be an annual event to increase awareness and monetary support each year for cancer.
At A Glance...
• Scouting the Bisons and the Bruins
• Looking Back at North Florida and Jacksonville
• Spartan Pair Rank in A-Sun Top-10
• 2010 Spartan Honor Roll
Scouting the Bisons
Lipscomb enters the weekend on a three-match win streak, including a 6-2 victory over cross-town rival Belmont. The Bisons are led offensively by Garret Pettis, Miguel DaSilva and Garrett McLaughlin. Pettis leads the team in goals (6), points (14), shots (33) and shots on-goal (13). DaSilva and McLaughlin are tied for second in goals (5).
Brent McGee has spent 1081:47 between the pipes out of a possible 1171:47. McGee has allowed 24 goals (2.00 GAA), while making 46 saves. He owns a season record of 7-4-0, with a pair of shutouts.
Fans not in attendance can watch the action live online at ASun.TV by visiting the service's web site, www.asun.tv, and clicking on the Lipscomb tab. Fans can also receive live statistical updates by visiting www.lipscombsports.com.
Scouting the Bruins
Belmont enters the weekend 5-8-0 overall and sits 2-3-0 in conference play. The Bruins conference victories came on the road at North Florida (W, 2-1, OT) and at Jacksonville (W, 3-2, 2OT).
Brandon Tarr is the offensive catalyst for Belmont as he leads the team in goals (6) and points (18). Tarr is tied for the team lead in assists (6) with Nico Olsak. Two bruins have split the majority of time between the pipes this season. Juho Illi has played 661 minutes, making 41 saves while allowing 18 goals (2.45 GAA). Meanwhile, Lou Manning has played 509 minutes, making 37 saves and allowing 13 goals (2.30 GAA).
Fans not in attendance can receive live statistical updates by visiting www.belmontbruins.com.
Looking Back at North Florida and Jacksonville
Last weekend, Upstate hosted A-Sun foes North Florida and Jacksonville. On Friday night, the Spartans fell to UNF by a score of 2-1. After just one shot in the first 45 minutes, both offenses woke up after the intermission. Upstate tied the match in the 76th-minute when Maurice Beggs scored his third goal, while Timo Foerster recorded his fifth assist. The Ospreys scored the game-winner in the 80th-minute to claim the victory. On Sunday, Jacksonville tallied three first half goals as they went on to claim a 4-0 victory over the Spartans at County University Soccer Stadium.
Samurai Shutdown
Sporting a new gameday hairstyle in 2010, similar to that of a samurai warrior, senior goalkeeper Jason McCabe has been a force in goal for the Spartans. McCabe earned Atlantic Sun Conference Defensive Player of the Week honors (Sept. 28) as he led Upstate to a 1-0-1 record in the final non-conference matches of the season. In the 1-0 victory over UNC Ashville on Sept. 22, McCabe made five saves as the Spartans picked up their first shutout victory since the move to Division I in 2007. The Irmo, S.C, product followed with another outstanding outing on Sept. 25 as he held the Furman Paladins scoreless for 110 minutes as the two teams battled to a 0-0 draw. For the week, McCabe finished with 200 minutes of shutout soccer behind seven saves en route to a 1-0-1 record.
Deliver with Care: Timo's Helpers
Junior midfielder Timo Foerster recorded an assist on all three goals the Spartans scored in the season opener at Georgia Southern (9/1). Hakeem King, John Kadane and John Collins tallied the three Spartan goals against the Eagles. His three assists are tied for the single-match high in the A-Sun this season. Foerster recorded his fourth assist of 2010 in the match against Presbyterian (9/7) as he assisted on Hakeem King's goal in the 30th-minute. He tied a single-season high after tallying his fifth assist of the season in the match against North Florida, as he assisted on Maurice Beggs' goal in the 76th-mintue. In the A-Sun, he is tied for sixth in both assists and assists per match (0.42).
Spartans in the A-Sun
Aside from Timo Foerster's pair of top-10 rankings in the A-Sun, Jason McCabe also finds his name in the top-10 of the A-Sun in several categories. McCabe ranks second in the conference in saves (54), fourth in saves per match (4.15) and tied for sixth in shutouts (2). He is also tied for sixth in shutouts per match (0.15), seventh in GAA (1.74) and 10th in save percentage (.692).
The Real McCoys
After missing the entire 2009 campaign due to injury, twin brothers Chad and Chris McCoy made their return to the field in the match at Georgia Southern (9/1). Chris, who had surgery on each hip in 2008, has started 11 games as a defender for Coach Hooks this season. Meanwhile, Chad had ankle surgery during the spring of 2009 and missed the '09 season due to his rehabilitation. Chad, a forward, has seen action against Georgia Southern, Presbyterian, UNC Asheville and Mercer
Hear Ye! Hear Ye!: 2010 Spartan Honor Roll
Through the first few weeks of the 2010-11 academic year, the men's soccer team has had a player selected as Sprint Spartan of the Week three times (out of a possible four selections). Timo Foerster earned the first honor on Aug. 23 after scoring a goal and recording an assist in the preseason exhibition match against Spartanburg Methodist College (8/19). Hakeem King collected the second consecutive honor on Aug. 30 after scoring the game-winning goal in the 2-1 exhibition victory over Clemson (8/24). Jason McCabe became the third men's soccer player to earn the honor on Sept. 13 after helping lead the Spartans to a 1-1 draw against Presbyterian College (9/7). McCabe earned his second Sprint Spartan of the Week award on Sept. 27 after earning A-Sun Defensive Player of the Week honors (9/27) behind 200 minutes of shutout soccer against UNC Asheville (W, 1-0) and Furman (T, 0-0, 2OT). Freshman Michael Rankin-Byrne earned Sprint Spartan of the Week honors (10/11), after notching his first collegiate goal in the 89th-minute at Stetson and nearly netted the game winner in the 103rd-minute.
Upstate Men's Soccer Fully Eligible
While Upstate men's soccer is just in its fourth year of competing on the NCAA Division I level, it is became fully eligible for postseason A-Sun and NCAA tournament play in 2009. Upstate, upon declaring its intention to move to D-I membership, tapped the men's soccer and softball teams as fast-track sports into NCAA Division I. Upstate's remaining 15 sports will become eligible beginning with the 2011-12 academic year.
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 59-24-7 at the friendly confines of County University Soccer Stadium for a winning percentage of .694. Overall, Upstate is 228-58-17 at home for a .780 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 a .802 winning percentage at Rifle Field.
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.
These Days in History
On today's game date, Oct. 22, these notable events occurred: John Hamilton, the Royal Governor of New Jersey officially chartered the College of New Jersey. The school is now known as Princeton University (1746)... A record score in the NFL: The Los Angeles Rams defeated the Baltimore Colts, 70-27, in a regular season game (1950)... Chart toppers include: "I'll Be There" by The Jackson 5 (1970) and "Reminiscing" by Little River Band (1978)... Notable birthdays include: Actor Christopher Lloyd (1938) and Olympic Gold Medalist Brian Boitano (1963).
On this day in Spartan history (Oct. 22), the men's soccer team defeated USC Aiken, 3-1, en route to a 13-3-2 record in the 2005 season.
On today's game date, Oct. 24, these notable events occurred: Telegrams were sent coast to coast for the first time in the U.S. California Justice Stephen J. Field was the first in line to send a message. The recipient was President Abraham Lincoln (1871)... The George Washington Bridge was opened, linking New York City with New Jersey. The bridge became a famous New York landmark and has been featured in many movies and TV shows (1931)... It was the first World Series won by a team from outside of the United States. The Toronto Blue Jays beat the Atlanta Braves in the sixth game (4-3 in 11 innings) and won the Series, four games to two (1992)... Chart toppers included: "Do Wah Diddy Diddy" by Manfred Mann (1964) and "Another One Bites the Dust" by Queen (1980)... Notable birthdays include: Actor Kevin Kline (1947) and Professional Golfer and British Open Champion Ian Baker-Finch (1960)
On this day in Spartan history (Oct. 24), volleyball's Megan Healey sets a D-I era record for services aces (5) in a five-set match (vs. Stetson) (2008).
