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Gamecocks to host Portland, Bucknell in weekend tourney By MATT NAGY THE GAMECOCK The USC men’s soccer team returns home this weekend for the annual Adidas-South Carolina Gamecock Classic. The Gamecocks face Portland on Friday and Bucknell on Sunday to finish the tournament. USC has started the season at 2-0-0, even as its offense has struggled at times. Ayo Akinsete finally got his first goal of the season against Winthrop after many wasted chances and close calls in the season opener. Akinsete and fellow striker Mike Sambursky hope to add to their collection of goals, which stands at just one despite taking 10 shots in the first two games. With half of these shots coming on net, it’s taken great saves and bad luck to keep these two from tallying a higher total. They play well together and are forming a strong chemistry as they ready themselves to become a potent, goal scoring duo for USC. In the team’s first two regular season games, the Gamecocks outshot opponents 28-22. USC also held the edge in shots, 17-9, against No. 11 Virginia Cavaliers in an exhibition match at the Graveyard. The Gamecocks, however, have missed many chances as returning players try to get acquainted to head coach Mark Berson’s crop of 15 freshmen, including Swedish standout Sebastian Lindholm. In two games, Lindholm has created chances and shown a good ability to finish. Lindholm netted his first collegiate goal against William and Mary and followed up that performance with an assist against Winthrop. USC has also seen plenty of inventive and creative play coming from the central midfield area. In spite of the missed chances, both Josh Alcala and Eric Szeszycki, sliding up from his defensive position, have provided a pivotal link from the backlines to the formidable forward trio of Akinsete, Sambursky and Sebastian Lindholm. The road through the classic this weekend will not be an easy one. The Gamecocks start play against the No. 16 defending WCC champion Portland Pilots. The Pilots have made four-straight NCAA Tournament appearances and return the core of their team from last season. Returning to the Pacific Northwest this year is the WCC Player of the Year Alejandro Salazar. Salazar led the team with 10 goals while sophomore striker Christopher Sanders looks to improve on his eight goals from a season ago. Carolina’s back four is going to face its first major test offensively since the Virginia exhibition game. Makan Hislop and fellow fullback Greg Reece will need to continue to play tough, shutdown defense on the right side in order to support junior captain Eric Szeszycki’s defense assignment. Hislop, a lanky, 6-foot-3-inch fullback from Trinidad and Tobago, will be vital in The weekend does not get any easier as the Gamecocks will face Bucknell on Sunday. ... It is imperative that Carolina’s core group of offensive players gets on the board early. the transition game, helping to push the team forward and create chances for the forwards with his booming leg and precision accuracy. The weekend does not get any easier as the Gamecocks will face Bucknell on Sunday. The Bison return junior forward Scott Visnic, who led the team with 12 goals and 27 points en route to becoming the Patriot League’s Offensive Player of the Year. It is imperative that Carolina’s core group of offensive players gets on the board early and presses for the entire game, as it faces a Bison defensive unit that allowed only 22 goals last season and return its two best defenders. The Bison have won 10 games in consecutive seasons and look ripe to repeat that feat for the third time this year. The Gamecocks have proved they can hang with top-tier soccer programs after an impressive display in an exhibition match against Virginia but will have to make the most of their opportunities in order KATIE KIRKLAND/THE GAMECOCK Freshman midfielder Ramon Paracat chases after a ball in the Gamecocks' victory over William and Mary last week. Paracat is one of 15 newcomers who will make an impact on the team this season. to be successful in the tournament. USC has all of the talent and depth required to win both games but needs to finish its plays and continue to play the aggressive, attacking style we have seen so far this season. College of Charleston is the final competitor in this tournament but will not face the Gamecocks. The Cougars are 1-1-0 on the season and are predicted to finish second in the Southern Conference. USC will face Charleston later in the season when the Cougars host their own tournament in November. Action kicks off at the Graveyard at 5 p.m. Friday night with College of Charleston and Bucknell playing the first game. USC begins play Friday at 7 p.m. against Portland. The action continues Sunday with Charleston and Portland squaring off at noon and USC finishing off the tournament against Bucknell at 2:30 p.m. This weekend is a perfect time to come out and support one of USC’s most historically successful programs. Comments on this story? E-mail gamecocksports@gwm.sc. edu Women’s soccer seeks pair of ACC wins By MIQUELJACOBS THE GAMECOCK Coming off of a successful weekend at home, the USC women’s soccer team now prepares for major non-conference battles against two highly regarded ACC foes. Carolina travels to Charlottesville, Va., for the Virginia Nike Soccer Classic. USC, Maryland, No. 8 UCLA and No. 5 host Virginia will compete in the soccer classic with USC and Maryland taking the field at 4:30 p.m. Friday, followed by Virginia and UCLA at 7 p.m. Play will resume Sunday when Carolina takes on Virginia at 2:30 p.m. at Klockner Stadium to close out the classic. Carolina faces Maryland on Friday carrying a 4-1 record on the play of senior forward Ashley Williams. Maryland carries a 1-1-1 record into Friday’s match-up following a loss to Virginia Tech and a tie to William and Mary last week. The Terrapins are a year removed from an 11-8-2 season that included their third consecutive appearance in the NCAA Tournament. Five starters return along with the eighth-ranked freshman class in the nation to give Maryland a balanced attack as it still seeks its identity this season. With the injury loss of sophomore Ashly Kennedy, an All-ACC selection last season, the Terrapins will look to their strength at midfield, where two returning starters in juniors Kimmy Francis and Mallory Mahar will anchor the deepest position on the team. The team boasts many decorated freshman, including Nataly Arias, a two-time Virginia State player of the year, two-time All-American and top-50 recruit. To edge out a victory, Carolina will hope to exploit the lack of experience at the goalkeeper position, where there are three players with one game of experience in a Maryland uniform between them. After battling Maryland on Friday, the Gamecocks hope to bring positive momentum into their Sunday match against the Virginia Cavaliers. The Cavs have had great success following last season’s NCAA Tournament appearance and are off to a fast 4-0 start. Virginia has outscored its four opponents 14 0 this season, including a 1-0 victory over No. 21 West Virginia. This shutout streak dates back to last season’s NCAA Tournament and is the second-longest such streak in team history, amassing over 530 minutes of shutout defense. Defense and aggressive offense have been key for Virginia as it has held teams almost helpless in the shots-on-goal category this season, 86-14. It also does not hurt that Virginia returns junior Kelly Hammond, a midfielder preseason All-American and candidate for the Hermann Trophy, an annual award given to the nation’s top college men’s and women’s soccer players. However, missing action this season will be sophomore defender Becky Sauerbrunn, a first-team All American in 2003; freshman goalkeeper Laura Comeau; and freshman Jen Redmond, all selected to compete for America in the U-19 World Championships in Thailand. The Gamecocks hope to limit Virginia’s offense while aggressively attacking sophomore goalkeeper Christina de Vries, who has not been challenged much this season. Carolina has enjoyed immediate success this season under the guidance of head coach Shelley Smith, now in her third season. Led by co-captains Sarah Lentz, a senior All-SEC selection, and juniors Kimmy Criss and Amanda Thurber, a young but talented Carolina team hopes to return to the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 1998, along with a return trip to the SEC Tournament. Following this weekend’s ACC showdown, the Gamecocks expect another week of non-conference opponents, including a Wednesday home match against rival Clemson set for 7 p.m. at Stone Stadium, Comments on this story? E-mail gamecocksports@gwm.sc.edu V / GAMECOCK CHALLENGE Jonathan Adam David Wes Steven Andy Hillyard Beam Stagg Wolfe Van Haren Ferris Sports Editor Design Viewpoints Copy Reader of editor in chief director editor editor the week (4-2) (6-0) (6-0) (5-1) (5-1) (6-0) 19 Auburn at Mississippi St. Auburn Iowa State at 12 IowaIowa 7 Michigan at Notre Dame Michigan Ga. Tech at 18ClemsonGa. Tech 8 Texas at ArkansasTexas Ole Miss at AlabamaAlabama Oregon State at Boise St.Boise St. 6 Florida St. at 5 MiamiMiami Colorado State at 1 So. Cal So. Cal 3 Georgia at USC USC 17-14 Auburn Auburn Iowa Iowa Michigan Michigan Ga. Tech Clemson Arkansas Texas Alabama Alabama OSUBoise St. Florida St. Miami So. CalSo. Cal USC UGA 28-17 31-14 MSUAuburn MSU IowaIowaIowa Michigan Michigan Michigan Ga. Tech Ga. Tech Clemson TexasTexasArkansas Alabama Alabama Alabama OSU OSU OSU Florida St. Miami Miami So. Cal So. Cal So. Cal USC UGA USC 28-27 34-0 17-13 WANT TO BE READER OF THE WEEK? E-MAIL SELECTIONS FOR NEXT WEEK’S GAMES TO GAMECOCKSPORTS@GWM.SC.EDU. LAST WEEK'S RESULTS: Beam and Stagg came flying out of the gate, going undefeated. The reader also posted a perfect record. 0/ off- all items in store /0 EVERYDAY! domuowi ia^sHowams Sports mon-Fn 1113 lady St. @ Main 771-6302 ipam-6pm .1 4 ■ RILEY ’ Continued from page 9 campaign. This year, sophomore Demetris Summers is out to prove he’s the best college running back in the country after coming to Columbia as the best high school running back in America. Oh, it gets better. Much better. Quincy Carter came into 2000 as the leading candidate for the Heisman Trophy. But the USC defense quickly proved otherwise, intercepting Carter over and over and keeping him under pressure all day. David Greene is a front runner for the Heisman this year. New England Patriot and All-Pro defensive lineman Richard Seymour was supposed to be on of the best defensive lineman in the nation. But it was Watson’s running and Phil Petty’s gunning that did Seymour and the Bulldog defense in. David Pollack is one of the best defensive players in the nation. Coincidence? ESPN broadcast the game in 2000. They return to Columbia in 2004. The Gamecocks did a uniform change in 2000 against Georgia, switching to garnet for the first time in years. USC will make a switch to black jerseys once again come Saturday. UGA came into Columbia in 2000 in the top 10 and a contender for the SEC and national champions. UGA comes into Columbia on Saturday in the same position. What does this all mean? Are the stars lined up just right? Have the football gods smiled upon Columbia once again? Well, all I can say is, if the goal posts happen fall in Columbia again this year, don’t say I didn’t warn you. ■ PREVIEW Continued from page 9 run the ball, pick up first downs and keep the clock moving. Last week against Vandy, USC utilized its talented backs to pick up 269 yards on the ground, including 17 first downs and a pair of touchdowns. If Pinkins, Summers and company have another big day on the ground, it will force David Greene to watch most of the game from the sideline. A dominant ground game would keep USC’s defense fresh and aggressive, ready to force Greene into a mistake. It will also make the Georgia defense vulnerable to the play action pass and the deep ball by forcing them to put more players in the box to stop the run. A 65-yard touchdown pass in the second or third quarter could send the crowd into a frenzy and momentum firmly in the Gamecocks’ corner. In a game like this, momentum is always a deciding factor, and turnovers play the biggest part in momentum. The USC defense will be tested early and often, and if it can come away with a few interceptions or force a few fumbles, this game will be very winnable. In most close games, special teams play a critical role. USC will have to improve on its l-of-3 field goal attempts. Comments on this story ? E-mail gamecocksports@gwm.sc. edu ■ OFFENSIVE Continued from page 9 in quarterback Dondrial Pinkins, after Pinkins committed no turnovers against Vanderbilt. The key will be the offensive line and whether it can continue to give sufficient pass protection and open holes for USC’s five running backs. “The strengths of this football team is the senior leadership of the offensive line and the running backs we have,” Holtz said. “That’s a strength we need to try and highlight.” Comments on this story? E-mail gamecocksports@gwm.sc. edu V