Thursday's MatchUP  
September 14, 2023 | 6:00 p.m. ET   

USC Upstate (2-1-3, 0-0-0 Big South) vs. ETSU (3-1-2, 0-0-0 SoCon)  
Summers-Taylor Stadium | Johnson City, Tenn. 
 

How They Stack Up  

Record: USC Upstate (2-1-3, 0-0-0 Big South) vs. ETSU (3-1-2, 0-0-0 SoCon)   

Series: Upstate trails the overall series 0-12-1 

Last Five Matches: Aug. 21, 2015 (UPST 0, ETSU 2), Aug. 19, 2016 (UPST 0, ETSU 1), Aug. 30, 2018 (UPST 0, ETSU 1), Aug. 28, 2019 (UPST 0, ETSU 0), Aug. 28, 2022 (UPST 0, ETSU 1)  

Players to Watch  

Nya Baccelli and Dara Russo have been on a hot streak recently as both forwards have three goals on the season. Baccelli has scored one goal in three of the last games while Russo has scored two in the last two games. Russo helps lead the Spartans' offense with three goals, one assist, seven points, 19 shots, 12 shots on goal, and one game winning goal. Along with Russo, Baccelli sits atop the Spartans stats with three goals, two assists, eight points, 13 shots, and eight shots on goal. Cora Brendle continues to be the Spartans' final line of defense as she has started all six games and has 19 saves on the season. 

ETSU is off to a similar start as Upstate with a 3-1-2 record. Sinoxolo Cesane leads the Bucs with three goals, six points, 16 shots, and seven shots on goal. Four other Bucs have tallied goals for ETSU this season: Reagan Fitzgerald, Grace Eatz, Molly Carson, and Emma Arnold. Ashton Blair has been the primary goalkeeper for ETSU with six starts, a 0.75 goals against average, 15 saves, and a .789 save percentage.  

Last Match    

The Spartans most recently acquired their third tie of the season after a 2-2 finish against The Citadel on Sunday. After trailing 1-0 early in the game, Russo was able to score before halftime and make the game 1-1 before the break. Baccelli was able to get the leading goal in the 80th minute, but a goal for the Bulldogs in the 85th minute would result a tie. Brendle recorded a season-high six saves against The Citadel.  

ETSU most recently tallied its third win of the season with a 1-0 victory on Monday over Big South competitor, Winthrop. After a scoreless first half, Emma Arnold scored the game winning goal in the 73rd minute with assists being credited to Ruby Teixeira and Madi Hook. ETSU led the Eagles in shots (24-4), shots on goal (10-1), and corner kicks (9-0) as well as had primary possession during the match (67%-37%).  

     
 
UP Next for the Spartans   
The Spartans will stay on the road after ETSU to play Jackson State University at 11:00 a.m. on Monday Sept. 18th. Upstate will begin Big South play at home on Saturday, Sept. 23rd against UNC Asheville.  
  

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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