The gamecock. (Columbia, S.C.) 1908-2006, September 10, 2004, Page 10, Image 10
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