Saturday's MatchUP  
October 22, 2022 | 7:00 p.m. ET
SENIOR NIGHT 
USC Upstate (8-4-3, 5-2-0 Big South) vs. Winthrop (4-7-2, 1-5-1 Big South) 
County University Soccer Stadium | Spartanburg, S.C.  
 

How They Stack Up 

USC Upstate sits second in the Big South conference standings with a 5-2-0 conference record and being 8-4-3 overall after beating S.C. State 5-0 on Wednesday night. Winthrop sits ninth in the Big South with a 1-5-1 conference record, and a 4-7-2 overall record. Here is how the Spartans and the Eagles compare this season against Big South opponents:    

Upstate vs. Campbell (L, 3-0); Winthrop vs. Campbell (L, 2-1)  

Upstate vs. Radford (W, 2-0); Winthrop vs. Radford (L, 2-0)  

Upstate vs. High Point (W, 1-0); Winthrop vs. High Point (L, 3-0)  

Upstate vs. Presbyterian (W, 1-0); Winthrop vs. Presbyterian (W, 1-0) 

Upstate vs. Longwood (3-1); Winthrop vs. Longwood (L, 1-0) 

Upstate vs. UNC Asheville (W, 2-1); Winthrop vs. UNC Asheville (T, 0-0) 

 
 
Series History  
The Spartans and the Eagles of Winthrop University have a match series dating back to 2008. During their first match up, the Spartans fell 1-0 at home and during their most recent match up in the 2021 season the Spartans fell 2-0. Upstate trails the overall series with Winthrop 1-7-0 and 1-3-0 in conference play.  

Players to Watch 

Dara Russo continues to lead the Spartans through her freshman campaign after starting 14 games and recording six goals, 42 shots, 18 shots on goal, 12 points, and three game winning goals. Captains Ashley Finn and Cora Brendle and senior Alaina McKnight have started all 15 games this season for the Spartans. Dara Russo (6), Ashley Finn (3), Sydney Thomas (3), and Alaina McKnight (2) all recorded multiple goals on the season. Emily Sanders (4), Nya Baccelli (2), and Magret Edda Bjarnadottir (2) all have multiple assists on the season.  

Russo sits in the Big South rankings for shots (3rd), shots on goal (8th), and goals (7th). Brendle continues to sit in the Big South rankings for goals against average (2nd), saves (3rd), shutouts per game (3rd), and saves per game (7th).  

Last Match   

Upstate most recently earned its eighth win of the season after beating S.C. State 5-0 on Wednesday night. The Spartans took a 2-0 lead going into halftime with Ashley Finn scoring her third goal of the season and Emily Rangel notching her first career goal. Following halftime, Dara Russo earned her sixth goal of the season to put Upstate up 3-0. Alaina McKnight recorded her second goal of the season before Sydney Thomas recorded her third goal of the season to finish out the game 5-0. Caitlyn Davis and Cora Brendle split the game with each goalkeeper taking 45 minutes.  

Winthrop most recently fell 3-0 to High Point in Rock Hill, S.C. on Wednesday night. High Point got an early lead over Winthrop as the Panthers scored in the third minute of play. The Panthers extended their lead to two goals by the sixth minute of play. The Eagles allowed one more goal in the 56th minute of play giving the Panthers the 3-0 win at the end of the 90 minutes.  

    
 
UP Next for the Spartans  
The Spartans will conclude its regular season with a final Big South match up at Gardner-Webb on Wednesday, October, 26th at 7:00 p.m.   
 
  

JOIN UP  
Make a difference in the lives of USC Upstate student-athletes! Donate to the USC Upstate U Club today!  

GET INVOLVED    

Want to be a ball kid for USC Upstate Soccer? Kids ages 10 and up can help the Spartans all season long by retrieving game balls on the sidelines during home men's and women's soccer matches at County-University Soccer Stadium. Click here for more details.    

 
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