Sunday's MatchUP
March 14, 4:00 p.m. EST
USC Upstate (3-2-1, 3-0-1 Big South) at Longwood (1-3-1, 0-2-1 Big South)
Longwood Athletic Complex | Farmville, Va.
TV: ESPN+ | Via WatchESPN.com or the ESPN App
Series History
Sunday will be just the third all-time meeting between Upstate and Longwood, as the two clubs never met prior to Upstate joining the Big South Conference. The Spartans hold a 1-0-1 advantage over the Lancers after a 2-2 draw in 2018 on the road and a 1-0 win in 2019 on the home pitch.
Last Time Out
The Spartans took their second consecutive match by a margin of three or more goals Wednesday night with a 5-1 win over PC at home to continue the program's best-ever start in Big South Conference play. The Spartans have not won more than three matches against league opponents since 2008, and tonight's win ties the 2012 team for three conference wins from when Upstate was a member of the ASUN. Additionally, the Spartans are above .500 through six matches for the first time since 2015. Pol Monells had a goal and two assists in the match against PC while Pascal Corvino netted two goals off two penalty kicks. Full Recap
Longwood is coming off its first win of the season, a 3-1 road victory at Virginia Military Institute this past Wednesday afternoon. Leif VanSlyke and Markus Gronli combined to score three goals and add an assist in the match. The Lancers are still looking for their first Big South win this year. Full Recap
Ones to Watch
Upstate – Pol Monells has already surpassed his goal total from last season and leads the Spartans with five goals and four assists on the year, which both rank toward the top in the Big South. Mario Arrocha has put up a team-high 23 shots so far this season, also ranking toward the top of the Big South, and has a goal and an assist. Felipe Baeza has been strong in net so far this year for the Spartans, starting all six matches Upstate with 19 saves, nine goals against, and a 1.43 goals against average.
Longwood – Markus Gronli, Josh Fordyce, and Leif VanSlyke have all tallied a pair of goals for the Lancers this year so far. Both of VanSlyke's came in the win over VMI this past Wednesday. Gronli also leads the team with two assists.
UP Next for the Spartans
Upstate stays on the road next when they travel to UNC Asheville in a week. Kick-off is set for 2 p.m. on Sunday, March 21 against the Bulldogs.
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