Spartans Set for a Pair of Road Matches
9/13/2010 12:00:00 AM | Men's Soccer
SPARTANBURG, S.C. – After an eight-day break, the USC Upstate men's soccer team will return to action on Wednesday night when it travels to Boiling Springs, N.C. for a 7:00 p.m. match at Gardner-Webb. Following that match, the Spartans will make a short trip down Pine Street to face Wofford for a 6:00 p.m. match on Friday night.
At A Glance...
• Scouting the Bulldogs and the Terriers
• Looking Back at Presbyterian
• Timo Foerster Leads the Spartans and the A-Sun in Assists
• Chad and Chris McCoy Return to the Pitch after Missing the 2009 Season
Scouting the Bulldogs
Gardner-Webb enters Wednesday's match with a 1-3-0 record and will wrap up its tour around the Atlantic Sun Conference. GWU opened the season with a 2-1 (OT) loss against Georgia State (9/1). Following the match with the Panthers, the Bulldogs squared off against A-Sun members Mercer, Lipscomb and Belmont. GWU defeated Mercer 3-0 on Sept. 3 before falling in both matches in Nashville, Tenn. The Bulldogs lost to Lipscomb 3-1 on Sept. 10 and fell to Belmont, 2-1, on Sept. 12.
Nicolas Wrobel leads the Bulldogs in goals (3) and points (6). Meanwhile, Romeo Kabanda leads the team in shots (14) and shots on-goal (7) and Jordan Day owns the team lead with two assists. Adam Garcia has logged 361:24 in goal for the Bulldogs in 2010, allowing seven goals (1.74 GAA) while tallying 16 saves.
Last season, Upstate and GWU battled to a tie on Nov. 4, Maurice Beggs tied the match at 1-1 in the 50th-minute with his team-leading seventh goal of the season. Erkan Yildirim evened the match at 2-2 in the 76th-minute when he connected on his penalty kick. The Spartans and Bulldogs remained scoreless over the final 44 minutes (regulation and two overtime periods) and the match ended in the 2-2 draw. Fans not in attendance at the match can receive live statistical updates by visiting www.gwusports.com.
Scouting the Terriers
Wofford owns a 0-3-1 mark on the season and is coming off a 0-1-1 mark at the Coastal Carolina/adidas tournament this past weekend. At the event, the Terriers tied Virginia Commonwealth 0-0 on Friday before falling 1-0 in double overtime to tournament host Coastal Carolina. Prior to the trek to Conway, S.C., the Terriers had a two game road swing in the state of Maryland. Wofford began the season at Navy on Sept. 2 with the Midshipmen taking the 3-1 win. Two days later, the Terriers battled Maryland-Baltimore County, with the Retrievers taking the 2-0 victory (9/4).
Wilson Hood has scored the lone goal of 2010 for Wofford. Hood also leads the team in points (2), shots (8), and shots on goal (3). Andrew Drennan has played all 400 minutes between the pipes for the Terriers. Drennan has 14 saves on the season while allowing six goals (1.35 GAA).
In 2009, the Terriers claimed a 1-0 victory at County University Soccer Stadium (9/11) thanks to Moe Kelli's goal in the 57th-minute. The Spartans own the all-time series lead 8-4-0. Fans not in attendance at the match can receive live statistical updates by visiting www.woffordterriers.com.
Looking Back at Presbyterian College
The Spartans kicked off the home portion of its schedule on Sept. 7 when they hosted Presbyterian College. The Spartans struck first with a goal in the 30th-minute by Hakeem King (assisted by Timo Foerster). It was King's second goal of the season and after three games, the Port of Spain, Trinidad, native has already set a career-best with two goals in a season. PC tied the match in the 80th-minute when Stephen Glover connected on a header from the left side of the box. The Spartans had a few golden opportunities to claim the victory during the two overtime sessions, but could not capitalize and finished with the 1-1 tie against the Blue Hose.
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. 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. The Oberkirk, Germany, native leads the A-Sun in assists and ranks second in assists per game (1.33). Foerster is tied for the team lead in points (4) and is tied for sixth in the A-Sun. He needs just one more assist to match his total from the 2009 campaign.
Long Live the King
Junior Hakeem King leads the Spartans in goals scored (2) and is tied for the team lead in points (4). King also finds his name in the top 10 of the A-Sun rankings in three different categories. He is tied for second in goals, ranks fifth in goals per match (0.67) and sits in a tie for sixth in points.
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 all three 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 rehabilition. Chad, a forward, saw action in the season opening match at GSU as well as the home opener against PC (9/7).
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 Foerester 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).
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 an impressive 58-20-6 at the friendly confines of County University Soccer Stadium for a winning percentage of .726. Overall, Upstate is 227-54-16 at home for an .791 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.
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, Sept. 15, these notable events occurred: Bob Watson of the Boston Red Sox hit a single, double, triple, and home run to become the first player in the major leagues to hit for the cycle in both the American League and the National League (1979)... Princess Diana and Prince Charles celebrated the birth of their second child, a blue-eyed baby boy (Prince Harry) who weighed 6 pounds, 14 ounces (1984)... Elton John's remake of "Candle in the Wind" sold more than 600,000 copies in its first day in British stores. At one Tower Records in London, 1,000 copies of the Princess Diana tribute were snatched up in less than 90 minutes (1997)... Chart toppers included: "Help!" by The Beatles (1965) and "Hanging Tough" by New Kids on the Block (1989)... Notable birthdays include: Gaylord Perry, Baseball Hall of Fame pitcher and was the first pitcher to win the Cy Young in both leagues (1938)... Former NFL quarterback and Hall of Famer, Dan Marino (1961).
On this day in Spartan history, Sept. 15, in the final season before moving to Division II, the men's soccer team records nine assists in a 9-0 victory over USC Aiken, at the time it was the second most assists in a single game in program history (1990).
On today's game date, Sept. 17, these notable events occurred: The Constitution of the United States of America was signed by delegates from twelve states at the Constitutional Convention in Philadelphia, Pa. (1787)... The first transcontinental airplane flight, from New York City to Pasadena, Calif., was accomplished on this day. It took C.P. Rogers only 82 hours to fly across the U.S. (1911)... Seventeen years to the day after his first major-league home run, Reggie Jackson of the California Angels hit his 500th career homer -- in a game against the Kansas City Royals (1984)... Chart toppers included: "Reflections" by Diana Ross & The Supremes (1967) and "Motownphilly" by Boys II Men (1991)... Notable birthdays include: Musician, songwriter and singer Hank Williams, Sr. (1923)... Lonnie "LeeRoy" Yarbrough, former NASCAR driver and 1969 Daytona 500 winner (1938).
On this day in Spartan history, Sept. 17, the women's soccer team downs Lenoir-Rhyne 3-1 for the third win of a nine match win streak (the longest in program history) and Upstate went on to claim the Peach Belt Conference regular season crown (15-3-1, 5-0-1) (2001).
