Monday's MatchUP
August 7, 2023 | 6:00 p.m. ET
USC Upstate (0-0-0, 0-0-0 Big South) vs. UNCG (0-0-0, 0-0-0 SoCon)
Spartanburg Regional Field at County University Soccer Stadium | Spartanburg, S.C.
*Live Stats and Streaming Not Available for Exhibitions*
How They Stack Up
Both the Spartans of USC Upstate and UNC Greensboro will kick off the 2023 season with Monday's exhibition match. USC Upstate had an exceptional 2022 season, with head coach Sharif Saber at the reins for the first time, finishing with an overall 9-5-4 record. UNCG finished the 2022 season with a 10-7-4 overall record as head coach Michael Coll finished his ninth season.
Players to Watch
Upstate retained nine of its 11 starters from last season including 2022 Big South Goalkeeper of the Year, Cora Brendle, 2022 Big South Freshman of the Year, Dara Russo, and senior captain Ashley Finn. Brendle played 18 games for a combined 1540 minutes played. The senior finished the 2022 season with nine wins, six shutouts, 0.88 goals against average, 79 saves, and a .840 save percentage. Russo played in all 18 of the Spartans games last season and finished with six goals (12 points), 48 shots, 20 shots on goal, and three game winning goals. Saber also returns Finn and Sydney Thomas who tallied three goals each last season, as well as fifth-year senior Emily Sanders who led the team in assists (5).
UNCG retrained one of its top offensive players, Gabi Santora. Santora was second on the team for goals (4) while leading the Spartans in assists (6). The now fifth-year senior finished the 2022 season with 14 points, 33 shots, and 11 shots on goal. The Spartans in blue and gold also returned their primary goalkeeper, Abby Buchholz. Buchholz played 16 of the 21 games last season for a combined 1148 minutes. The now fifth-year senior finished last season with five wins, 56 saves, 1.18 goals against average, and a .789 save percentage.
Last Match
USC Upstate entered the Big South Women's Soccer Championship as the No. 2 seed for the first time in program history and went against No. 3 seed Radford. Despite a valiant effort, the Spartans fell 1-0 after the Highlanders were able to sneak one in during the 61st minute of play.
UNCG entered the SoCon Women's Soccer Tournament as the No. 4 seed first took on No. 5 seed Western Carolina in the Quarterfinals. After a 2-1 victory over the Catamounts, the Spartans faced No. 1 seed Chattanooga and proved resilient as they emerged with a 2-1 victory in double overtime. UNCG fell just short of being Tournament Champions as the Spartans lost 6-5 in a penalty kick shootout against No. 2 seed Samford.
UP Next for the Spartans
Following the exhibition against UNCG, Upstate will turn its attention to Elon for the final exhibition and the first road trip of the season. That game is scheduled for Saturday, Aug. 12th at 7:00 p.m. in North Carolina.
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.
Connect with the Spartans
Facebook.com/UpstateAthletics
Twitter | @UpstateWSoccer
Instagram | @UpstateWSoccer
Youtube.com/UpstateSpartans
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