Wednesday's MatchUP  
September 27, 2023 | 7:00 p.m. ET   

USC Upstate (4-1-4, 1-0-0 Big South) vs. Winthrop (3-3-1, 0-1-0 Big South)  
County University Soccer Stadium | Spartanburg, S.C. 
 

How They Stack Up  

Record: USC Upstate (4-1-4, 1-0-0 Big South) vs. Winthrop (3-3-1, 0-1-0 Big South) 

Series: USC Upstate trails the overall series 2-7-0 

Last Five Matches: Oct. 22, 2022 (UPST 1; WIN 0), Sept. 25, 2021 (UPST 0; WIN 2), Mar. 7, 2021 (UPST 1; WIN 3), Oct. 26, 2019 (UPST 0; WIN 3), Oct. 3, 2018 (UPST 4; WIN 2) 

Players to Watch  

For USC Upstate, Nya Baccelli and Dara Russo continue to lead Upstate's stats as both players have four goals on the season. Along with her four goals, Baccelli has two assists, 10 points, 18 shots, 11 shots on goal, and one game winning goal. Russo leads not only the Spartans but also the Big South in shots (27) and shots on goals (17) while also having recorded one assist, nine points, and one game winning goal. Seven other Spartans have also tallied goals this season: Armstrong (2), Bjarnadottir (2), Sanders (1), Sapinoro (1), Baer (1), Blodget (1), and Finn (1). Catarina Bastos continues to lead the Spartans' back line and played her third consecutive full game while Cora Brendle has started all nine games as the final line of defense.  

Winthrop enters the game with a 3-3-1 overall record and a 0-1-0 record in conference play. The Eagles' offense is led by Sophia Ballet with five goals, one assist, 11 points, eight shots, six shots on goal, and one game winning goal. Monssi Avila-Gutierrez also sits near the top of Winthrop's stats with four goals, one assist, nine points, 13 shots, and nine shots on goal. Izzy Giarrizzi has started all seven games in goal for the Eagles and so far this season has a 1.89 goals-against average, 38 saves, and a .745 save percentage.  

Last Match    

Upstate started off conference play with a win for the third consecutive year after it pulled out a late 2-1 victory over UNC Asheville. In the final eight minutes of the match, Bjarnadottir delivered a corner kick to Baer who was rushing toward the six-yard box. Baer was able to redirect the kick with a header into the far corner of the net to tie the game 1-1. Bjarnadottir secured the win for the Spartans as she scored a penalty kick with less than two seconds left in regulation.  

Winthrop most recently fell in its first conference game of the season. The Eagles suffered a 3-2 loss to the Panthers of High Point on Saturday night. Monssi Avila-Gutierrez scored her fourth goal of the season in the 28th minute of play to help cut the Panthers' lead down to one goal (2-1). Sophia Balliet tallied her fifth goal of the season in the 56th minute to score the Eagles' final goal of the game. Despite goalkeeper Izzy Giarrizzi playing the full 90 minutes in the net and making nine saves, Winthrop fell 3-2.  

     
 
UP Next for the Spartans   
After hosting the Eagles, USC Upstate will take the short drive to Boiling Springs, N.C. on Saturday night to play Gardner-Webb at 7:00 p.m. 
  

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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