Spartans Travel to Peach State for Weekend Action
9/26/2012 12:00:00 AM | Women's Soccer
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: David Beall, dbeall@uscupstate.edu
Upstate Game Notes | A-Sun Game Notes
SPARTANBURG, S.C. – The USC Upstate women's soccer team hits the road for a pair of Atlantic Sun Conference games this weekend, traveling to Mercer for a Friday evening showdown with the Bears, before taking on Kennesaw State Sunday afternoon.
The two-game road swing will be one of two A-sun road trips on the year as the Spartans will cap the regular season with a two-game stint in Jacksonville, Fla. Upstate is a combined 0-13 all-time against the Bears and Owls, but look to get off the deck in conference play and notch its first win against Mercer or KSU.
Quick Hits
Mercer's Moment: After opening the year at .500 through the first three weeks of the season, Mercer has not dropped a game since, going 3-0-1 and outscoring its opponents 14-3 in those contests. Following a tie with Kennesaw State last weekend to open the A-Sun slate, the Bears are looking for their first conference win of the year.
Well Prepared: While Kennesaw State has an overall record below .500, the Owls have played plenty of tough competition, including posting a 1-2 record against the Southeastern Conference. KSU dropped a 1-0 decision against Alabama and fell 2-0 to Tennessee, while going on the road and knocking off Arkansas 1-0. The non-conference slate should have the Owls ready for the best the A-Sun has to offer.
Home Sweet Home: Mercer (3-0-1) remains the only undefeated A-Sun team at home this season, while Kennesaw State (2-0) and FGCU (2-0-1) are the lone undefeated teams in true road games. Northern Kentucky and Kennesaw State are the only teams in the A-Sun to have a losing record at home, but winning marks on the road. The Norse are 0-4 at home and 3-2 in road matches, while Kennesaw State is 1-4-1 at home and 2-0 on the road.
Shutout Success: Despite dropping a pair of A-Sun contests last weekend, the Spartans provided plenty of reasons to be optimistic moving forward. Upstate held two-time A-Sun Champion FGCU scoreless for the opening 65 minutes of the game, and shutout Stetson for 61 consecutive minutes. The Spartans' back line picked the right time to tighten up and keep opposing offenses at bay with the bulk of A-Sun games starring them in the face.
Defensive Pressure: The Spartans went on a stretch where they allowed 19 goals in four games, but since the second week of September the defense has stepped up and allowed just nine goals over the past five games, including a shutout of Presbyterian.
Workhorse: Sarah Plantz has seen plenty of action in goal this season for the Spartans, logging nearly 1,000 minutes and making 10 starts between the posts. The junior has a league-leading 71 saves on the year and ranks ninth in the country in total saves. She has posted a season-high nine saves three different times throughout the year, hitting the mark against Navy, Liberty and FGCU. Her lone shutout of the year came in a 1-0 double overtime victory at VMI to open the season. Plantz currently has a save percentage of .703.
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About the Opponents
MERCER UNIVERSITY BEARS (6-3-2, 0-0-1 A-Sun)
Matchup: Fri., Sept. 28, 7:00 PM • Bear Field (500)
Live Stats: www.mercerbears.com • Live Video: Asun.TV
Head Coach: Tony Economopoulos (Oklahoma City, '97)
Overall Record: 16-44-2 (4th season) • Record at Mercer: 6-3-2 (1st season)
KENNESAW STATE OWLS (4-5-1, 0-0-1 A-Sun)
Matchup: Sun., Sept. 30, 1:00 PM • KSU Stadium (8,300)
Live Stats: www.ksuowls.com • Live Video: Asun.TV
Head Coach: Rob King (Alabama-Huntsville, '91)
Overall Record: 168-94-22 (17th season) • Record at KSU: 141-45-17 (11th season)
