The gamecock. (Columbia, S.C.) 1908-2006, August 27, 2004, Page 9, Image 9
% Q GAME SCHEDULE •
„ WOMEN’S SOCCER vs. Georgia State, 7 p.m. Tonight
Friday, August 27, 2004 WOMEN’S SOOCCER at James Madison, 12:30 p.m. Sunday J
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THIS ISSUE: SECONDARY
M •: #’ » • ~*
COUNTDOWN TO KICK
'Bennett, Morris lead DBs
.iJMfcr, SHSlL_■
KATIE KIRKLAND/THE GAMECOCI
Senior Taqiy Muhammad goes through a drill in preseason practice. The Gamecock secondary should
be an important factor against .quarterback Jay Cutler and the Commodores in the season opener.
By STEPHEN DEMEDIS
THE GAMECOCK
With the quarterbacks playing sue
a big role in USC’s opener again
Vanderbilt — Dondrial Pinkins
looking to solidify a starting role an
the Commodores’ Jay Cutler is
preseason second-team All-SE
selection — the men they will thro
at will be a major factor. On wh;
should end up being two defensivi
minded teams, the secondaries will 1
a big part of each team’s success <
failure.
The Gamecock coaching staff hi
been excited about the depth amor
defensive backs. Defensh
coordinator Rick Minter has worke
to rotate various players in practice i
an effort to fill starting positions ft
next Saturday.
Sophomore Fred Bennett an
junior Tremaine Tyler are pencile
in as starters at the cornerbac
position, although defensive bad
coach Ron Cooper will probabl
shuttle a number of players throug
Tyler’s spot. Both have had soli
camps, and Tyler will pro vie
heeded experience to a your
secondary. Junior college transfi
Jonathan Joseph is a solid covi
cornerback who has shown li
ability to make big plays. Josep
was initially slated as a starter an
will likely get significant playiti
time against a potent Vanderbi
passing attack. Senior Taqi
Muhammad will play after bein
converted from wide receiver t
cornerback, and the coaching sta
has had good things to say aboi
him at the position.
Two freshmen highlight a safei
position that is deep enough for an
of the four players at the position t
start. Freshmen Ko Simpson an
Chris Hampton have come in an
shown the ability to make a
immediate impact. Senioi
Jermaine Harris and Jamaci
Jackson create a balance betwee
youth and experieno
. •
Welcome to The Gamecock’s Countdown to Kickoff
special. In every issue of The Gamecock from now until
h the Sept. 4 opener at Vanderbilt, we will bring you an in
;t depth breakdown of a different position on both teams.
is Our schedule will be as follows:
d Monday: Receivers
a Tuesday: Linebackers ^
2 Sept. 1: Offensive line
v Sept. 2: Defensive line
it Sept. 3: Special teams
p
r
GAMECOCK GRADE: B +
is The depth and playmaking ability
g of this unit warrants a high grade,
e Unproven newcomers keep it from
d being any higher,
n In contrast to the Gamecock
r secondary, the Commodore
secondary is rather thin. Behind the
d starters, Vanderbilt will have to rely
d on players with limited experience
k and some who are returning after
:s injuries last year.
y Starters at cornerback will likely
h be juniors Bill Alford and
d Dominique Morris. Alford started
e six games for the Commodores last
g season after transferring from
r Middle Georgia College. Slightly
r undersized at 5 feet 9 inches and
e 185 pounds, Alford’s effectiveness
h was limited by a knee injury midway
d through last season,
g Morris was Vanderbilt’s most
It consistent player in the secondary last
y season, starting in every game but
g one. He led the team last year with
o three interceptions. At 6-feet tall and
:f 195 pounds, Morris is a physical
it corner.
Backing up Morris and Alford will
y be senior Lorenzo Parker and junior
y Cheron Thompson. The question
o surrounding Parker is where he will
d play after showing promise as a wide
d receiver in the spring. Parker turned
n in a solid year at cornerback last
s season, including 50 unassisted
a tackles.
n Thompson was limited much of
:. last season with a knee strain but was
still able to play 11 games. The '£•
Atlanta, Ga., native started against
USC and recorded a career-high eight
tackles.
Two returning starters solidify the
safety position for Vanderbilt. Juniors
Andrew Pace and Kelechi Ohanaja
started every game for the •
Commodores at safety last season.
The 6-foot-1-inch, 210-pound Pace
had 85 tackles, two interceptions and
two forced fumbles. He is expected
to be much improved this season.
The athletic ability of Ohanaja has
made him a standout. He led the
secondary in nearly every statistical •
category but interceptions last season.
Ohanaja recorded 10 tackles against
USC. - j
Not only is there uncertainty
surrounding the cornerback reserves
but also at the reserve safety
position. Junior Ronnie Swoopes
contributed mainly to special teams
last season while seeing limited time
at safety. Swoopes recorded only 11
tackles. Sophomore Ben Koger was
also used significantly on special
teams as a freshman last season
while serving as a second-team
safety.
GAMECOCK GRADE: C
Vanderbilt starters are solid, but
injuries and limited experience
among the reserves leave the
Commodores’ secondary rather
average.
Comments on this story? E-mail
gamecocksports@girm.sc.edu
u|
. J
Women’s team
looks to declaw
Lady Panthers
■ Gamecocks begin
tough road schedule
By BRIAN SAAL
THE GAMECOCK
Pi The Gamecock women’s soccer
team will begin its 2004 campaign
tonight against the Georgia State
Lady Panthers.
The Gamecocks are ready to
bounce back fr.om a 10-8-3 record
in 2003. They will need to rely on
a few of their 13 incoming
freshman to step up early in order
to repeat their double-digit win
season.
The season begins with a tough
opponent in the Panthers,
projected to finish third in the
competitive Atlantic Sun
Conference. The Panthers finished
16-6 last season, losing in the
conference semifinal.
The Gamecocks will look to stop
^ the dominating attack force of the
P 'anthers. Last season, forward
Lauren Chave7. led the team with a
total of 26 pr ints.
Also returning for the Panthers is
their second leading scorer,
midfielder Amber Collins-Cephers,
who totaled up 19 points last
season.
The Gamecocks will be using
their home field advantage under
the lights of Stone Stadium —
affectionately known to USC fans as
“The Graveyard.” Last season, they
finished with a 6-2-1 record at
home, their best in the past four
yeark
Shelley Smith will be entering her
fourth season as head coach of the
Gamecocks. During her tenure, the
Gamecocks have compiled a record
of 31-21-8 and made two
consecutive appearances in thg SEC
Tournament.
The Gamecocks will host 11
home games at Stone Stadium this
season. The 11 games tie the record
for most home matches in a season
by the Gamecock women soccer
team. The schedule features eight
opponents that reached the 2003
NCAA Tournament.
“The schedule is very
competitive,” Smith said. “A good
strength of schedule is important,
and we have continued to increase
the level of competition. Our
players expect to be challenged and
to play top teams across the
nation.”
Coming back to this year’s squad
will be leading point scorer MA
Foster, who scored four goals and
had four assists last season.
The biggest question mark for the
Gamecocks will be the starting
goalkeeper position after losing last
year’s starter Elise Matthews. Of the
13 new faces at camp this season,
two are goalkeepers. The battle
between Monica Sanchez of Tampa,
Fla., and Laura Armstrong of
Greenwood might last the entire
season.
Sanchez earned first team
Western Conference and second
team all-conference honors last
year. Armstrong was named to the
All-Region team and was team MVP
♦ Pltese see WOMEN, page 10
1
use SOCCER i
SARAH ZILINSKY/THE GAMECOCK
A USC forward tries unsuccessfully to head in a goal Thursday night. Despite a hard-fought game, both offenses failed to score a goal.
Last year’s exhibition in Charlottesville, Va., also ended in a 0-0 tie. The Cavaliers are ranked eighth this preseason.
Exhibition ends in stalemate
By STEPHEN DEMEDIS
THE GAMECOCK
Taking on the eighth-ranked,
reigning ACC champion Virginia
Cavaliers in the first official game
of the season would intimidate
most young teams. Such was not
the case for the USC men’s soccer
team Thursday night as it opened
its season in an exhibition game at
the Graveyard, playing Virginia to
a scoreless tie.
Though disappointed that they
did not win their first match,
Carolina was pleased with its play
on the evening. “We just came out
ready to play today and definitely
showed it.wl mean, with intensity,
we matched theirs and even put
more into it. We were all over
them. We were unfortunate to not
get a better result, but I think we
definitely deserved to win and that
is just how it goes,” goalkeeper
Brad Guzan said.”
The highlight of the night for
the Gamecocks was their defense,
which held the Cavaliers to nine
shots. Guzan was once again a
leader for the team, but only had
to make three saves thanks to the
play of defenders Greg Reese,
Makan Hislop, Ryan Leeton and
Ramon Paracat in front of him.
The defense not only held
Virginia’s top scorer, Adam
Christman, scoreless, but limited
the striker to just one shot on goal.
“In the offseason, we worked
very hard at closing down space
and trying to turn the ball over,”
head coach Mark Berson said. 1
was very pleased that we were able
to do those things with some
effectiveness against a very good
Virginia team.”
While the defense looked much
improved, it was the offense that
held the team back. Despite out
shooting UVA 17-9, the front line
seemed to be plagued by the same
inability to finish as it was last
year.
“We were very pleased with our
play during the entire game from
the standpoint that we created a
lot of good opportunities,” Berson
said of the team’s offensive play. '
“Anytime you outshoot a team like
Virginia, nearly two to one, you
have to feel like you are creating
some good chances.”
The first 45 minutes of play
passed without either team making
much of a statement. Both sides
mounted several strikes and
possession was fairly even. In the
last minute of play, USC moved
down the field on a counterattack
but lost control just as the ball was
crossed into the bo;;. The attack
set the tone for second half.
Carolina came out fired up after
k
♦ Please see SOCCER, page 10