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Thursday, November 2,1995 Buckeye sur Seminole gr( POINT BLANK Ryan Wilson Well sports fans, I return to you a humble man. After a tough weekend schedule, it looks like I am out of the hunt for the Gamecock Sports Challenge. My colleagues have said my heart has been my own undoing. They say I have picked the teams that I want to win rather than the teams that probably will win. Do you think I am going to change my way of thinking? C'mon, you should know me better than that now. An interesting thing happened on the way to the polls. The AP poll changed the number one team for the first time this season, as Nebraska overtook Florida State as the nation's best team. If you look at the vote total, you can see that it was a very close race, and Florida State actually received more No. 1 votes. No. 4 received more first place votes than Florida and might overtake the Gators before their matchup with the Seminoles. How did the Noles drop? Even with them getting more No. 1 votes the the Huskers, some pollster must have voted them as No. 3 or worse. That means that Ohio State is the second best team in the nation in some voters' eyes. It's a shame they won't be able to challenge for the title. Speaking of the Noles. Bobby Bowden's club faces its toughest ACC challenge tonight when the Seminoles travel to Charlottesville to face Virginia. I said at the beginning of the season that Virginia was probably the only ACC team that has a chance of dethroning Florida State, but lately the Cavs have been struggling. The only thing that gives the Wahoos any hope is the fact that all three nf t.hpir lna.QPS Vinvp cnmo nn flio rnaH They have one of the best secondaries in the nation and could give the Seminoles all they can handle. Gua d t( We're waiting. Th will be giving aw (quick) individual $1,000 scholar finale on Decern! (it's why we're a duck who wall busload of bool pretty slim if yo The N( Sc (No ^ Emptoy< n&nfcock 2 1400 Greene St. Col ge redefines fatness T: 11 rm? 1 r ngci a uu a i uii. ?nc uujrs irum Tigertown, as much as I hate to say it, have been on a roll over the last few weeks, beating some solid teams on the road. The Tigers return to the Valley for a homecoming game with the Tarheels. North Carolina was another ACC team that I thought would do some damage nationally, but they have struggled as well. The Tarheels have the better team, but they are just not playing well right now. Things don't get any easier next week as they travel to Tallahassee to face the Noles. The Heels need to win now, but the Tigers are thinking bowl and need an extra win. Maybe Tommy West will learn not to schedule a Division I-AA as their home opener. (At least the Gamecocks play Kent.) Guess who's the best in the West Look out SEC, Danny Ford has staked a claim to the West title with the victory over Auburn. Ford has only been in the league a couple of years, but he has already established his kind of team, a solid option attack with a great defense. As most teams have dumped the option and gone to the pro-style offense, Ford has silenced the critics with his approach. It looks as though two of the most hated coaches in the nation will battle it out for the SEC Championship. (Steve Spurrier, if you're keeping score at home.) A Gators-Hawgs matchup could be very good, and Danny Ford knows how to win the big games. h xt* .-x t"* o! 1 ?._- t* m nuicrs get, neep oixea. oan r rancisco should learn a lesson from some other pro teams: if you have someone on the team making trouble, but still producing, keep him and deal with it, don't trade him. With William Floyd's season-ending injury in a loss to the Saints (ha, ha), the Niners lose a key part of their offense. Granted, Floyd wasn't producing the way the Niners had hoped, but remember they traded basket-case Ricky Watters because they thought Floyd was The Man. They need Watters more than ever now. irant< ianc< ^ win y t ie Gamecock and Univer: ay a prize package this v s who register at our inship will be given away i jer 8, along with books, bookstore). So you coulc :s away with a grand in 1 [S. But your chances of u don't enter. So get sm; i P'c Pom J II J llOljl :holarshi| purpose necessary ses ol Student Media and University Bookstore are not elegible. Limit ry per student. All contestants must be enrolled in classes for Spring 8 at USC- Columbia. Weekly pnzes will be drawn on Fridays and ced in Monday's paper. The final day to enter is Dec. 8. The winner will be verified for elegibility and notified shortly after. umbia, SC 29208-00112 SPOl Mathis set PATRICK DOHERTY Senior Writer USC (YmtirmpH its lntp spasnn rnisfi toward the NCAA's, beating the fighting Camels of Campbell, 4-0. The win makes Carolina 11-1 in its last 12 games, a streak they started since dropping two straight to Wisconsin and Wake Forest early in the season. The torrid pace of winning has vaulted the Gamecocks to fifth in the Soccer America Top 20, one ahead of the Clemson Tigers. Carolina sophomore Clint Mathis has been making a name for himself, scoring half of USC goals for the season. His 22nd goal of the season was scored less than three minutes into the match on Wednesday, making Mathis the USC record holder for most goals scored in a single season. The oid record of 21 was set by Clark Brisson in 1989. "If s a huge honor," Mathis said of his accomplishment Wednesday night. Tm just glad that my 22 goals have helped the team win." The game was certainly not a gimmie for the Gamecocks. Campbell had a record of 11-3-2 going into last nighfs match, and they also had the nation's leading scorer in senior Toni Skiiala. The USC defense was able to shut the Camels down all night long, and Coach Berson was proud of the defensive effort. "Our defense did a great job tonight," Coach Berson said. "Every time they came at us, our defenders j shut them down. Campbell is an ex- a cellent team and we held them in high ? regard; because ol that, this is an outstanding win for our team." \ USC spread it out well on offense j as four different players scored Car- 1 olina's four goals. Mathis scored first ? at the 2:51 mark, and it was impor- \ tant for the psychological edge. t "Against a team with this type of j power, you don't want to give them too ? much confidence," Coach Berson said. p It was clear that Carolina intended to 1 jump out early and not let the explosive Camels into the match. f USC was dormant until the sec- r ond half, when they struck for two 1 quick goals in the first seven minutes r of the second 45. The second goal for t Carolina on the night was scored by i Jeff Wilson, unassisted. The goal was F scored at the 47:51 mark, and spelled h disaster for the Camels as they were i] 36(1 J m sity Bookstore reek to smart store sign up. u n the grand books, books tg I be the lucky ff rand and a f winning are art Sliom nn Ai L LA _ I ied | ) ) Phone: 777-4160 EtTS srecord, I off Wilson fights for the ball wH (cored the second goal In the 4-0 C I p.m. Sunday in the Graveyard. breed to come up with two goals against i voracious Carolina defense in one lalf. Things got worse for Campbell it the 52:54 marie, as David Tart scored inassisted off a thrilling shot into the op right corner of the net. The goal )ut the game away for the Gamecocks, ind Coach Berson sent in the subs, getting his team ready for the rapidy approaching NCAA tournament. Carolina's fourth goal was scored rom an unlikely source late in the natch, as sophomore Robbie Pait scored us first goal of the season at the 84:42 nark. The USC bench was definitely lehind Pait, jumping up and screamng as if Carolina had won the chamdonship. Pait seemed very happy with lis goal and was excited about helpng his team win. "It's always good to I ?? lis i imff rwngi^" iV t| p #5^ | 5 m |upr -f4r' fl?^<?*^N ^Wm H' WITH A^DANGEROUS^ SECRET. \ THEY'VE BEEN TARGETED ^ BY THE RUSSIAN MOB, AND NOW THEY'RE BOTH... imr JilisB OPEN :;', ,,-: "-:x ,x, : ? Gamecocks win 4-0 ?. 1 B "j 1^^ "#. T^yjid/\^) IH^Hh^. Robert Walton The Gamecc ti Campbell defenders Wednesday night at the Graveyard. Wile iamecock victory. The Gamecocks play the College of Charleston score, you can't take anything away to the Soccer America Team of t from those guys [Campbell]. As long Week last week for the third week t as we're on the winning side, I don't season, an outstanding accompli care who's scoring them," Pait said af- ment indeed. Junior John Mills \r ter Wednesday's match. first in the region before Wednescte In other team news, senior team match and 11th in the country witi captain Billy Clifford is seeing limit- Madduxesque 0.67 goals against i ed playing time as he recovers from a erage. The average Vrill only get b foot injury. "They want me to be at teras Mills recorded his seventh shut 100%," Clifford said after the match, this season on Wednesday. "Fll be playing a lot more." With the USC will face the 17th ranked C NCAA tournament growing ever clos- lege of Charleston (12-5-1) on Sunc er, the Gamecocks will need Clifford's at the Graveyard. Gametime is 2: ^ experience and leadership in the back- p.m. Coach Berson is looking fo S field, and it looks like they'll have him strong turnout from the fans on Sm back just in time. day. "This is one of the premier plao Senior Sigmar Scheving had two in the country to play soccer." Cre.r assists on the night, raising his year- Berson said. "I hope the Gameccn ly total to a team-leading nine assists, faithful will be ready to rock the Gra^ In other Mathis news, Clint was named yard on Sunday." "I' ' . 8g.' 1 1 SR-r "IL# :'VIING NOVEMBER 3 i .