No. 24 USC Soccer Hosts No. 3 Clemson In Season Opener Friday

COLUMBIA, S.C. (USC SID) — The 24th-ranked South Carolina men’s soccer team opens the 2016 campaign on Friday when it hosts No. 3 Clemson in the season opener at Stone Stadium. Come support head coach Mark Berson and the Gamecocks and help Carolina break the all-time attendance record at Stone Stadium!

GAMECOCK QUICK HITS

– Mark Berson is the winningest active NCAA Division I coach, 5th on all-time NCAA D1 list
– Berson is tied for the most NCAA Tournament appearances among active DI coaches with 21
– South Carolina has two C-USA Tournament titles and two regular-season crowns in 11 years
– The 2015 Gamecocks advanced to the Second Round of the NCAA Tournament
– The Gamecocks return 17 letterwinners from last season’s squad
– South Carolina returns eight starters from last season’s squad
– The Gamecocks were undefeated at Stone Stadium last season with an 8-0-2 record
– Senior midfielder Danny Deakin leads the Carolina offense after scoring 11 goals last season
– Deakin and fellow senior Koty Millard were both named to the 2016 Preseason All-C-USA Team
– Deakin was named to the CollegeSoccerNews 2016 Preseason All-America Second Team
– The Gamecocks are ranked 24th in the NSCAA Top 25 Poll, No. 24 in the TopDrawerSoccer.com Preseason Poll and No. 21 in the CollegeSoccerNews Preseason National Poll
– The Gamecocks are set to face six teams that are also ranked in the NSCAA preseason list, including No. 3 Clemson, No. 5 Wake Forest, No. 21 Coastal Carolina, No. 22 Charlotte, No. 23 FIU and No. 25 Rutgers.
– The Gamecocks were 1-1-1 in exhibition games to start the 2016 season, posting a home win vs. Winthrop
– South Carolina posted a 1-1 draw vs. No. 8 North Carolina and suffered a 2-0 loss at College of Charleston in the two other exhibitions this fall
– South Carolina has won six of the last 10 meetings versus Clemson
– Carolina has won four-straight home games vs. Clemson entering Friday’s matchup

SOUTH CAROLINA IN SEASON OPENERS

The Gamecocks are 32-5-1 all-time in season openers, and enter Friday’s matchup vs. the Tigers having won their last four season lidlifters, including a 2-1 victory over Mercer to begin the 2015 season.