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GAME SCHEDULE! MEN’S SOCCER vs. Furman, 7 p.m. Wednesday ^age 10 WOMEN’S SOCCER vs. Florida, 7 p.m. Friday Monday, October 25, 2004 VOLLEYBALL at Tennessee, 7 p.m. Wednesday . FILE PHOTO BY CHARLIE DAVENPORTFTHE GAMECOCK Quarterback Mike Rathe, the hero of the Kentucky game, went four of seven for 61 yards and two touchdowns Saturday during the Gamecocks’ 31-17 win against Georgia Military. Quarterbacks shine in JV game ■ Rathe, Mitchell lead USC to victory over Georgia Military By STEPHEN FASTENAU STAFF WRITER With first and second-string quarterbacks Dondrial Pinkins and Syvelle Newton nursing injuries this week, Blake Mitchell and Michael Rathe were able to get some additional experience Sunday in the form of a junior varsity game with Georgia Military Junior College. Quarterbacks coach Skip Holtz said he was thankful for the opportunity. “They need as many reps as they can get right now,” Holtz said. “I have to get two quarterbacks ready to play so this open date was really needed.” Mitchell tossed a 63-yard touchdown pass to redshirt freshman D’Von Hill for one of his two completions. Rathe started the game and threw two touchdown passes to David Smith as USC rolled to a 31-17 win. Lesser known quarterback Brett Nichols also contributed. The redshirt sophomore played the entire second half and scored on a 16-yard touchdown run with 3:08 remaining in the game. The young Gamecocks were stingy on defense. Georgia Military scored two touchdowns, both as a result of fumbled punts deep in USC territory. The lone field goal converted by the Bulldogs came only after a 15-yard penalty for a late hit gave Georgia Military sufficient field position. Redshirt freshman David Laggis led the team with seven tackles and a forced fumble. Curtis Rice, also a redshirt freshman, recorded five tackles and returned a fumble 20 yards. Brain “They need as many reps as they can get right now.” SKIP HOLTZ QUARTERBACK COACH Arnold came up with the game’s only interception to stall a Bulldog drive at the USC’s 22. Along with being on the field with the kick-off unit, 39-year-old freshman Tim Frisby was also utilized in three wide receiver sets. Frisby had little impact on the game, having one Mitchell pass thrown too far behind him to catch and getting leveled before being past the line of scrimmage on another route. With 12:20 remaining in the game, Frisby caught his first pass as a Gamecock ♦ Please see JV, page 11 Carolina snaps 8-game losing streak By MIQUELJACOBS THE GAMECOCK The winless streak is over as the USC women’s soccer team posted back-to-back wins this weekend to pick up its first conference victories. With the SEC tournament just one game away, each team is fighting for wins and Carolina’s wins over Arkansas and LSU move them two steps closer to stealing a spot. Carolina traveled to Fayetteville on Friday night to compete against the Lady’Backs. USC took the immediate advantage on a rebound goal by Ashley Kirk at 20:13, the first of her career. It proved to be the deciding point as Carolina took the match 1-0. The win snapped Carolina’s school-record eight game losing streak and was freshman goalkeeper Lindsey Thorstenson’s second career shutout. Carolina dominated the tempo of the game, out-shooting Arkansas 12-9, including a 7-3 advantage in the first half. With Gamecock seniors Sarah Lentz and Ashley Williams neutralized at one shot apiece, Kirk was the main offensive force for Carolina in a game that featured messy play and messy weather. Following the 1-0 loss to Carolina, Arkansas has a 2-6-2 conference record, which ties USC for 10th in the SEC. In order for either team to be considered for the eighth and final seed, either team must win its final game on Friday as well as hope for a Kentucky loss to a talented Vanderbilt team. If that happens, USC will hold the tie-breaker over Arkansas and make the tournament. The Gamecocks again faced a major test as they faced an LSU team that has two of the top scorers and one of the best goalkeepers in the conference. Two of the three players showed up true to form as LSU freshman goalkeeper Valerie Vogler recorded eight saves on 14 shots and sophomore Stacy Bishop recorded the only goal for the Bayou Bengals. This game was similar to the rest of the season for the Gamecocks as they dominated the ball early in the game. However, one costly mistake at 11:22 led to a penalty kick by Bishop from about 8 yards from the goal, too short to allow USC goalkeeper Laura Armstrong to record the save. The rest of the half saw many Gamecock opportunities but rarely any shots. The result was a halftime deficit of 1-0 and a banged up team from the physical play of LSU. “That’s LSU’s style of play,” head coach Shelley Smith said of the physical match and the short-term injuries to Carolina players Jessi Swaim, Kali Neumann and Courtney Cobbs. “They always have someone on you and like to get physical.” The emotional match must have given the Gamecocks extra adrenaline as they attacked LSU quickly in the second half, firing off four shots in goal in a three minute span. However, Vogler was able to clear the ball from Tiger territory. A corner kick at 53:18 by Kirk turned the tables as the ball went right to Lentz, who headed it in for her sixth goal of the season. After numerous perceived miscalls, the Carolina fans began to speak up, motivating the team. A cross from Williams, saved by Vogler, at 81:45 rebounded 5 yards out to the feet of an LSU defender and Cobbs. Using a spin move, Cobbs was able to get by the defender and blast it past the goalkeeper to give Carolina the 2-1 lead with under 10 minutes to play. The goal was the second on the year for Cobbs. The Bayou Bengals threatened a few times before Bishop split the USC defense with a pass to Brown with four minutes to play. A miscommunication gave Brown the open shot on goal that sailed past Armstrong for the tying goal. However, an oflside penalty nullified the goal and Carolina held on to win the match 2-1. Afterward, Smith had good things to say about her team’s performance. » “I thought our team played very well. We never let down and did a good job in the second half to control the match and possess the ball. Amanda Thurber controlled the game very well and Kimmy Gillespie played a great game for us. We played our game and did what we had to do. I was proud of the team’s performance.” Up next for the Gamecocks is the season finale as they take on No. 25 Florida Gators at home. The game begins at 7 p.m. on Friday with Carolina’s tournament hopes still alive. The Gators bring their 12-3-3 record into Stone Stadium as Carolina acknowledges their three seniors on Senior Night. Comments on this story? E-mail gamecocksports@gwm.sc. edu FILE PHOTO BY NICK ESARES/THE GAMECOCK Freshman forward Sebastian Lindholm attempts to keep pace with a dlemson defender. Lindholm already ha$ three goals this season. SARAH ZINLINSKY/THE GAMECOCK Freshman midfielder Ashley Kirk, right, scored the first goal of her career Friday night in Fayetteville against the Lady ‘Backs. Kirk’s goal was the lone score in USC’s 1-0 victory. Unexpected heroes lead USC ■ Mens soccer breaks four-game winless streak over weekend By MATTHEW NAGY THE GAMECOCK A three-goal outburst led the USC men’s soccer team to its first victory in their last four games, as they defeated UNC Wilmington on Saturday afternoon in North Carolina. The Gamecocks got on the scoreboard for the first time since a win against Clemson two weeks ago. Sebastian Lindholm scored the first goal for the Gamecocks in the 42nd minute to give Carolina a one-goal lead and momentum heading into halftime against the Seahawks. Lindholm’s third goal of the season came on a 2-1 breakaway opportunity with sophomore Mike Sambursky. Sambursky struck a quick crossover to the freshman from Sweden and wasted no time in giving the Gamec$ks the 1-0 lead. Carolina’s next two goals would come at the feet of Wilmington’s mistakes. In the 60th minute a poor clearance by a Seahawk defender landed at the feet of sophomore striker Ayo Akinsete, who then made a quick pass to fullback Greg Reece. Reece had no trouble capitalizing on a rare goal scoring opportunity and suddenly Carolina had a two-goal lead. The goal is Reece’s second of the season and third of his career. Less than 10 minutes later, another Gamecock defender got into the goal scoring action when a handball inside of the 18-yard box led to a penalty kick for Carolina. Captain Eric Szeszycki took the penalty kick for Carolina, and made the Gamecock lead three goals with just 22 minutes left in the contest. Brad Guzan and USC were unable to hold the shutout as Seahawk defender Russell Bienias scored on a late header to make the score 3-1 with just over five minutes left to play. Despite the goal, it was an important victory for Carolina as the win snapped a three-game losing streak. “We haven’t had things go our way the last couple games, but tonight the hard work paid off,” USC head coach Mark Berson said after the Gamecocks were shut out in their last three games, all on the road. “I’m very proud of our team tonight; they stuck to their guns after suffering some setbacks and have continued to believe in themselves. We got a hard fought win tonight on the road against a good team.” The Gamecocks are trying to prevent a late-season slide that has affected the team in recent years, keeping the team from an NCAA tournament appearance last season. In 2002 the Gamecocks started the year 7-0-1, but went on to finish the year at 11-8-1. The Gamecocks lost eight of their final 12 games that season and saw an early exit in the NCAA Tournament. In 2003, the Gamecocks again started the season with seven-game winning streak, but faltered after that point. Their struggles started with a five game losing streak, and that l^d to the Gamecocks finishing their year losing seven of their last 11, winning only twice. They finished 9-7-2 and missed the NCAA Tournament for the first time in three years. The team has failed to make it past the second round of play since reaching the finals in 1993. With the win, USC’s record on the year jumps to 9-4-1 and the team could be on its way back to the NCAA Tournament thanks to big wins coming against ranked teams such as Portland and Wake Forest. The key to finishing strong this year will be winning games I on the road, as the team has not had a winning road record since 2001. Carolina has five games left this season, and wjth three of them coming at home, the team is looking to reverse the trend of the past two years and finish strong. Carolina comes home to Eugene Stone III Stadium to face Furman Wednesday night and then follows that game up with a Halloween contest against Duke on Sunday. Comments on this story? E-mail gamecocksports@gwm.sc. edu Tennessee has secret weapon in QB Cooter ■ Jim Bob should be USC’s main concern against the Volunteers I am cautiously optimistic about our game with Tennessee this weekend. I think we have a very good chance of winning, but Tennessee is dangerous. Really dangerous. In fact, they have something that no other team in the nation has. He is a weapon so secret and yet so dangerous that he is only allowed to play in special situations. I may JAKE BROOM SECOND-YEAR POLITICAL SCIENCE STUDENT be arrested tor | revealing this secret, but 1 think it is time the student body here at USC knows about him. Ladies and gentlemen, theyve got Cooter. That’s right, Jim Bob Cooter. For those of you oblivious to the football player that is “The Cooter,” let me give you a little background. Jim Bob Cooter is a backup quarterback for the University of Tennessee football team. And by backup, I mean backup. Way back. He has climbed to as high as second on the depth chart but now is some-whete , around fourth or fifth. I know that the one word that comes to your mind when you hear a name like Jim Bob Cooter is probably “redneck,” but when I hear Jim C(K)ter Bob Cooter I only think of one thing — brilliance. Even Tennessee head coach Phillip Fulmer appreciates the spectacular athletic ability, superior football IQ and general excellence processed by Cooter. In a preseason interview, Fulmer said Cooter “doesn’t have a great arm, but he’s a very smart player. At some point I think he can be a factor.” Be a factor? Jim Bob Cooter is more than just a factor. You can’t have a name like Jim Bob Cooter and be just a factor. Names like that are reserved for greatness. I don’t know much about Cooter’s past, but it could have gone something like this: The legend of JBC began in late summer of ‘87. Cooter was vacationing with his family at Disney World and noticed a roller coaster about to fly off of its track. Without hesitation Cooter scaled the track and single-handedly stopped the coaster before any harm was caused. A few years later a grizzly bear escaped from the Knoxville Zoo and ♦ Please see BROOM, page 11 I