Spartans Set to Open Conference Play
9/28/2010 12:00:00 AM | Men's Soccer
SPARTANBURG, S.C. – After a seven-match non-conference slate, the Spartans (1-3-3) will begin Atlantic Sun play this week as they host Mercer on Thursday night. Kick-off at County University Soccer Stadium is slated for 7:00 p.m.
The Spartans will wrap-up their four-match homestand when they host Campbell on Saturday afternoon at 2:00 p.m.
At A Glance...
• Scouting the Bears and the Camels
• Looking Back at UNC Asheville and Furman
• Jason McCabe Earns A-Sun Defensive Player of the Week Accolades
• Timo Foerster Ranks in the Top-20 in the NCAA
Scouting the Bears
Mercer, selected fifth in the A-Sun preseason poll, enters the week 4-1-1 overall and the Bears have not dropped a match since losing the season opener at Garder-Webb (L, 0-3) on Sept. 3. The Bears picked up a pair of 3-0 wins over Winthrop (9/5) and Radford (9/10) before a 2-2 tie at High Point (9/12). Mercer defeated Georgia State 2-1 in the home opener on Sept. 19, before downing VMI in Lexington, Va. on Sept. 24.
Ian Cameron leads Mercer in goals (3) and points (7), while Joshua Ball leads the way in shots (15) and shots on-goal (9), while ranking second in goals (2) and points (5). The Bears have used a pair of keepers in 2010. Goalkeeper Brett Petricek has seen the majority of the action, making 16 saves in five games (433:02), allowing just four goals for a 0.83 GAA and a .800 save percentage. Dan VanValkinburgh has appeared in two matches, making six saves while allowing three goals (2.13 GAA).
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 USC Upstate tab. Fans can also receive live statistical updates by visiting the official Upstate Athletics Web site at www.upstatespartans.com.
Scouting the Camels
Campbell was selected second in the A-Sun preseason poll after receiving two first-place votes. The Camels enter conference play with a 2-2-3 record and will travel to Johnson City, Tenn., to face ETSU in the conference opener on Thursday night before heading to Spartanburg. Campbell opened the season with a pair of double-overtime ties against Loyola (Md.) (0-0) and at Richmond (1-1). Since falling at Davidson and at home to #23 UNC Wilmington, the Camels have a record of 2-0-1 with victories over Charlotte and Appalachian State and a draw at UNC Greensboro.
The Camels are paced offensively by Khalil Johnson and Mitchell Cardenas. Johnson leads the team in goals (2), shots on-goal (7) and ranks second in both points (4) and shots (17). Meanwhile, Cardenas is the leader in assists (3), points (5) and shots (19), while ranking tied for second in goals (1). Ryan Amons has logged all 690 minutes in goal for Campbell this season. Amons owns a GAA of .91 (seven goals allowed), while recording 29 saves for a save percentage of .806. Saturday's matinee will be the final time that the Spartans and the Camels will face off as conference members. Campbell will move to the Big South Conference beginning with the 2011-12 academic year.
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 USC Upstate tab. Fans can also receive live statistical updates by visiting the official Upstate Athletics Web site at www.upstatespartans.com.
Looking Back at UNC Asheville and Furman
Against UNC Asheville, it was Maurice Beggs goal off of Erkan Yildirim's corner kick in the 15th-minute that proved to be the difference as Upstate downed the Bulldogs 1-0 on Sept. 22 at County University Soccer Stadium. The goal by Beggs was the second of the season for the senior forward. In the non-conference finale, Upstate hosted Furman on Sept. 25 and the two teams battled to a scoreless draw on Saturday night. It was the first time since the move to D-I that Upstate registered back-to-back shutouts. Upstate has just three total shutouts since the move, last season Upstate and ETSU battled to a scoreless draw in Johnson City, Tenn.
Samurai Shutdown
Sporting a new gameday hairstyle in 2010, similiar 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. The Oberkirk, Germany, native leads Upstate with four assists in 2010. In the A-Sun, he is tied for second in assists per match (0.67) and is tied for fourth in assists. Foerster, who needs just one more assist to match his total from the 2009 campaign, is tied for the team lead in points (4).
Foerster also ranks in the top-20 nationally in two statistical categories. His assists per match average of 0.67, puts him in a tie for 12th-place in the NCAA, while his four assists put him in a tie for 20th.
Spartans in the A-Sun
Aside from Timo Foerster's pair of top-five rankings in the A-Sun, two other Spartans find their name at the top of the charts in the A-Sun. Upstate keeper Jason McCabe is tied for the A-Sun lead in shutouts (2), while he sits tied for second in shutouts per match (0.29) and ranks fifth in saves (27). He also ranks sixth in saves per match (3.86), seventh in goals against average (1.43) and eighth in save percentage (.711). Meanwhile, Maurice Beggs is tied for fifth with one game-winning goal this season.
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 seven 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 and UNC Asheville.
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).
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 59-20-7
at the friendly confines of County University Soccer Stadium for a
winning percentage of .727. Overall, Upstate is 228-54-17 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. 30, these notable events occurred: The record for home runs in a single season (60) was set by Babe Ruth and stood for 34 years until it was broken by Roger Maris (1927)... The World Series aired on television for the first time as the NY Yankees defeated the Brooklyn Dodgers 5-3. The Gillette Razor Company and the Ford Motor Company sponsored the entire series for $65,000 (1947)... The TV show "Cheers" began its 11-year run (1982)... Mike Witt pitched the 11th perfect game in MLB history as California defeated Texas, 1-0 (1984)... Microsoft released MS Dos version 6.2 (1993)... Chart toppers included: "Another One Bites the Dust" by Queen (1980) and "Don't Worry Be Happy" by Bobby McFerrin (1988)... Notable birthdays: Chewing gum tycoon William Wrigley, Jr. (1861)...Writer/actor Truman Capote (1924).
On this day in Spartan history, Sept. 30, Spartan volleyball player Mandy Rupert records 28 kills in a match at Francis Marion... Rupert's 28 kills is fourth-most in school history.
On today's game date, Oct. 2, these notable events occurred: The only triple-header in baseball history was played as the Cincinnati Reds took two out of three games from the Pittsburgh Pirates (1920)... The comic strip "Peanuts" began on this day in seven U.S. newspapers, the gang of "Peanuts" came from Sebastopol, Calif., which does in fact exist... Sandy Koufax, battling pain from an arthritic elbow, won his 27th game of the season and led the L.A. Dodgers to the N.L. pennant for the third time in four years (1966)... Chart toppers include: "I'm a Ramblin' Man" by Waylon Jennings and "Jukebox in My Mind" by Alabama...Notable birthdays: Political and spiritual leader Mahatma Ghandi (1869)... Comedian/actor Bud Abbott (1896)... Singer/songwriter Sting (1951)...
On this day in Spartan history, Oct. 2, the men's soccer team downs UNC Pembroke, 5-0, for the 10th consecutive victory to open the 2002 season... The Spartans opened the season on an 11-match win streak en route to the Peach Belt Conference regular season crown and an appearance in the NCAA Division II Quarterfinals (2002).
