Upstate Hosts Liberty on Saturday in Home Opener
9/1/2017 12:00:00 AM | Men's Soccer
Spartanburg, S.C. – The USC Upstate men's soccer team returns to County University Soccer Stadium for the first time this season on Saturday afternoon when the Spartans host the Liberty Flames at 1 p.m. in a non-conference match.
Upstate started its season with three straight games on the road capped by a 3-1 defeat at Presbyterian College on Wednesday. Calon Minors scored his first career goal as a Spartan in the contest while Santiago Restrepo grabbed a season-high five saves in goal. Minors attempted a team-high three shots while Sebastian Quinteros and Michelangelo Dovidio took two each.
Minors leads Upstate this season with three points on one goal and one assist, and Cam Philpot has compiled two points on one goal. Restrepo has totaled 10 saves on the year.
Liberty enters the weekend at 2-0 on the season after opening with back-to-back home wins over Southern Virginia and VMI. The Flames are led offensively by Tresor Mbuyu with seven points on three goals and one assist. Trent Tarnstrom and Rigo Rojas have dished out a team-leading two assists. Liberty is under the direction of 17th-year head coach Jeff Alder.
The Spartans are facing the Flames for the fourth time in program history with Liberty leading the all-time series 2-1. The Flames won the previous meeting, 1-0, last season in Spartanburg.
Fans can follow the action on www.upstatespartans.com via live stats. The game is being streamed for free on ASUN.TV via Facebook Live. Updates will also be posted on the Upstate men's soccer Twitter page (@UpstateMSoccer).
The Spartans remain at home on Saturday, Sept. 9 when they host crosstown rival Wofford at 7 p.m.
Follow Upstate men's soccer on Facebook (UpstateAthletics), Twitter (@UpstateMSoccer), Instagram (@upstatespartans), YouTube (USCUpstateAthletics) and text/e-mail alerts (www.upstatespartans.com/list-signup).
