South Carolina Gamecocks men's soccer

Last updated
South Carolina Gamecocks
South Carolina Gamecocks logo.svg
Founded1978;46 years ago (1978)
University University of South Carolina
Head coach Tony Annan (2nd season)
Conference Sun Belt
Location Columbia, South Carolina
Stadium Stone Stadium
(Capacity: 5,700)
Nickname Gamecocks
ColorsGarnet and black [1]
   
Kit left arm claretborder.png
Kit left arm.svg
Kit body vneckclaret.png
Kit body.svg
Kit right arm claretborder.png
Kit right arm.svg
Kit shorts.svg
Kit socks long.svg
Home
Kit left arm claretborder.png
Kit left arm.svg
Kit body vneckclaret.png
Kit body.svg
Kit right arm claretborder.png
Kit right arm.svg
Kit shorts.svg
Kit socks long.svg
Away
NCAA Tournament runner-up
1993
NCAA Tournament College Cup
1988, 1993
NCAA Tournament Quarterfinals
1985, 1988, 1989, 1993
NCAA Tournament Round of 16
1979, 1985, 1987, 1988, 1989, 1990, 1993, 1995, 1997, 1998, 2010
NCAA Tournament Round of 32
1985, 1986, 1987, 1989, 1990, 1992, 1993, 1994, 1995, 1997, 1998, 2000, 2001, 2010, 2015, 2016
NCAA Tournament appearances
1979, 1985, 1986, 1987, 1988, 1989, 1990, 1992, 1993, 1994, 1995, 1997, 1998, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2004, 2005, 2010, 2011, 2015, 2016
Conference Tournament championships
C-USA: 2005, 2010
Conference Regular Season championships
Metro: 1993
C-USA: 2011

The South Carolina Gamecocks men's soccer team represents the University of South Carolina and, as of the 2022 college soccer season, competes in the Sun Belt Conference. The team is coached by Tony Annan, who succeeded Mark Berson as head coach after the 2020 season. [lower-alpha 1] Berson had been the Gamecocks' only head coach since the program's inception in 1978 and had participated in 20 NCAA Tournaments, reaching the Quarterfinals on four occasions. Since 1981, South Carolina has played its home games at Stone Stadium, which is affectionately called "The Graveyard" by South Carolina fans due to an adjoining cemetery. [2] [3]

Contents

Program history

South Carolina first fielded a men's soccer team in 1978 under the direction of current coach Mark Berson. The program wasted little time making a name for itself on the national stage, as it reached the NCAA Quarterfinals in 1985. The 14-year period from 1985 to 1998 was a dominant era for South Carolina, as it posted a 213–61–22 overall record with 12 NCAA Tournament appearances. Of the 12 NCAA Tournament trips during this run, the Gamecocks advanced to the second round or beyond on nine occasions.

Throughout its history, South Carolina has made 22 NCAA Tournaments, with four Quarterfinal appearances, two Semi-final appearances, and a 1993 National Runner-up finish. The 1993 squad won 16 contests before falling to Virginia 2–0 in the National Title game. The Gamecocks' most recent NCAA Tournament appearance came in 2016. Since the SEC does not sponsor NCAA Men's Soccer, South Carolina has participated as an Independent (even in its original years in the Metro Conference), finally joining the Metro for men's soccer in 1993 and 1994, but was forced back to independent status following the 1995 reunification with the Great Midwest Conference to form Conference USA (C-USA) until 2005, when Kentucky left the Mid-American Conference in order to allow the two SEC schools to play in C-USA together. South Carolina and Kentucky continued to play in C-USA through the 2021 season, after which both left to join the revived men's soccer league of the Sun Belt Conference.

In terms of conference championships, South Carolina won the Metro Conference season title in 1993 and the Conference USA tournament in 2005 and 2010, along with its regular season title in 2011.

Head coaches

Coaches history

NameYearsSeasonsWonLostTiePct.
Mark Berson 1978–20204351126176.654
Tony Annan 2021–present1592.375
Total4451627078.642

Year-by-year results

SeasonCoachRecordNotes
OverallConference
1978 Mark Berson 13–3–1
1979 Mark Berson 14–5–0 NCAA First Round
1980 Mark Berson 12–5–2
1981 Mark Berson 16–4–1
1982 Mark Berson 12–5–2
1983 Mark Berson 8–11–2
1984 Mark Berson 14–4–2
1985 Mark Berson 20–3–1 NCAA Quarterfinals
1986 Mark Berson 17–5–0 NCAA First Round
1987 Mark Berson 16–2–3 NCAA Second Round
1988 Mark Berson 14–4–4 NCAA Semi-finals
1989 Mark Berson 17–3–2 NCAA Quarterfinals
1990 Mark Berson 14–5–2 NCAA Second Round
1991 Mark Berson 14–5–0
1992 Mark Berson 13–5–3 NCAA First Round
Metro Conference
1993 Mark Berson 16–4–44–0–1Metro Champions; NCAA Runners-up
1994 Mark Berson 16–44–1–0 NCAA First Round
1995 Mark Berson 16–4–0 NCAA Second Round
1996 Mark Berson 8–9–2
1997 Mark Berson 16–3–1 NCAA Second Round
1998 Mark Berson 16–5–0 NCAA Second Round
1999 Mark Berson 10–7–2
2000 Mark Berson 12–4–3 NCAA First Round
2001 Mark Berson 12–5–2 NCAA Second Round
2002 Mark Berson 11–8–1 NCAA First Round
2003 Mark Berson 9–7–2
2004 Mark Berson 12–7–1 NCAA First Round
Conference USA
2005 Mark Berson 12–7–27–1–1Conference USA Tournament Champions; NCAA First Round
2006 Mark Berson 11–5–14–3–1
2007 Mark Berson 11–6–24–2–2
2008 Mark Berson 8–6–52–2–4
2009 Mark Berson 7–8–32–4–2
2010 Mark Berson 13–7–24–2–2Conference USA Tournament Champions; NCAA Third Round
2011 Mark Berson 9–7–36–1–1Conference USA Regular Season Champions; NCAA First Round
2012 Mark Berson 5–11–22–5–1
2013 Mark Berson 7–7–54–2–3
2014 Mark Berson 10–10–03–5–0
2015 Mark Berson 11–8–26–2–0 NCAA Second Round
2016 Mark Berson 11–8–15–2–1 NCAA Second Round
2017 Mark Berson 6–9–22–4–2
2018 Mark Berson 7–10–02–6–0
2019 Mark Berson 7–9–22–5–0
2020 Mark Berson 8–7–12–4–1
2021 Tony Annan 5–9–21–5–2
Sun Belt Conference
2022 Tony Annan 5-8-41-4-3
2023 Tony Annan 6-9-33-4-2

Championships

Records

All-Time career leaders

Scoring

Career Points
RankPlayerGoalsAssistsPointsYears
1 Doug Allison 63321581984–87
2 Chris Faklaris 55141241991–94
3 Clint Mathis 53151211994–97
4 Clark Brisson 3626981987–90
5Dan Ratcliff3720941983–86
6Jordan Quinn3713871999-02
7Andrew Coggins3315811988–91
8 Brian Winstead 3314801978–79
9 Billy Baumhoff 2234781991–94
Rob Smith 1940781991–94

Goalkeeping

Single season records

Points: 53, Clint Mathis -1995
Goals: 25, Clint Mathis -1995
Assists: 16, Rubén Tufiño -1989
GAA: 0.49, Charles Arndt -1987
Shutouts: 13, Warren Lipka – 1985

Notable former players

Current professionals

Retired professionals

In other fields

Footnotes

  1. Due to COVID-19 issues, the NCAA moved the Division I men's soccer tournament from its normal fall 2020 schedule to spring 2021. The NCAA continued to designate that season as the "2020" season.

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ray Tanner</span> American college athletics administrator and former baseball coach

Donald Ray Tanner Jr. is an American college athletics administrator and former baseball coach who is the athletic director at the University of South Carolina, a position he took on July 13, 2012, after 16 seasons as head coach of the university's baseball program.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Clint Mathis</span> American soccer player (born 1976)

Clint Mathis is an American former professional soccer player who played as a forward or midfielder. He appeared at the 2002 FIFA World Cup, scoring one goal. He also played in Major League Soccer for the MetroStars, where he scored five goals during a game in August 2000, a league record.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Metro Conference</span> Former U.S. college athletic conference

The Metropolitan Collegiate Athletic Conference, popularly known as the Metro Conference, was an NCAA Division I athletics conference, so named because its six charter members were all in urban metropolitan areas, though its later members did not follow that pattern. The conference was centered in the Upper South with some strength in the Deep South. The conference never sponsored football, although most of its members throughout its history had Division I-A football programs. In 1995, it merged with the Great Midwest Conference to form Conference USA. The merger was driven mainly by football, as several Metro Conference members had been successfully lured to larger conferences that sponsored the sport.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">South Carolina Gamecocks</span> Intercollegiate sports teams of the University of South Carolina

The South Carolina Gamecocks represent the University of South Carolina in the NCAA Division I.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">South Alabama Jaguars</span> University of South Alabama intercollegiate teams

The South Alabama Jaguars represent the University of South Alabama in NCAA Division I intercollegiate athletics. USA competes in the Sun Belt Conference; it is the conference's only remaining charter member from its inception. USA's athletics teams are nicknamed the Jaguars. Popular sports are baseball and men's basketball. USA sponsors 8 men's sports teams and 9 women's sports teams. The board of trustees voted to start a football program that began play in the fall of 2009.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">East Carolina Pirates</span> Athletic teams that represent East Carolina University

The East Carolina Pirates are the athletic teams that represent East Carolina University (ECU), located in Greenville, North Carolina. All varsity-level sports teams participate at the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division I level as a member of the American Athletic Conference. The school became an NCAA member in 1961.

Warren Lipka is an American retired soccer goalkeeper who formerly coached the University of Kentucky and Morehead State University women's soccer teams.

Charles (Charlie) Arndt is a retired U.S. soccer goalkeeper who was the 1988 ISAA Goalkeeper of the Year. He spent two seasons in the American Professional Soccer League and is currently the Furman University goalkeeper coach.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">UCF Knights</span> Athletic program of the University of Central Florida

The UCF Knights are the athletic teams that represent the University of Central Florida in unincorporated Orange County, Florida near Orlando. The Knights participate in the National Collegiate Athletic Association's (NCAA) Division I as a member of the Big 12 Conference. Since men's soccer is not sponsored by the Big 12, they play in the Sun Belt Conference.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">South Carolina Gamecocks men's basketball</span> University basketball team

The South Carolina Gamecocks men's basketball team represents the University of South Carolina and competes in the Southeastern Conference (SEC). The Gamecocks won Southern Conference titles in 1927, 1933, 1934, and 1945, and then they gained national attention under hall of fame coach Frank McGuire, posting a 205–65 record from 1967 to 1976, which included the 1970 Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) championship, the 1971 ACC Tournament title, and four consecutive NCAA tournament appearances from 1971 to 1974. The program also won the 1997 SEC championship, National Invitation Tournament (NIT) titles in 2005 and 2006, and a share of the 2009 SEC East division title. Most recently, the Gamecocks won the 2017 NCAA East Regional Championship, reaching the Final Four for the first time in school history. Lamont Paris is the current head coach, and the team plays at the 18,000-seat Colonial Life Arena.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">South Carolina Gamecocks women's basketball</span> University of South Carolina basketball team

The South Carolina Gamecocks women's basketball team represents the University of South Carolina and competes in the Southeastern Conference (SEC). Under current head coach Dawn Staley, the Gamecocks have been one of the top programs in the country, winning the NCAA Championship in 2017, 2022, and 2024. The program also enjoyed success under head coach Nancy Wilson during the 1980s in the Metro Conference, when it won five regular season conference championships and three conference tournament championships.

Mark Berson is an American retired soccer coach. He spent 43 seasons as head men's soccer coach at the University of South Carolina. He started his coaching career at The Citadel in 1976.

The South Carolina Gamecocks women's soccer team represents the University of South Carolina in soccer and competes in the Southeastern Conference. The team was formed in 1995 and plays its home games at Stone Stadium.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Coastal Carolina Chanticleers</span> Sports teams of Coastal Carolina University

The Coastal Carolina Chanticleers are the athletic teams that represent Coastal Carolina University. They participate in Division I of the NCAA as a member of the Sun Belt Conference (SBC) in most sports, having joined that conference as a full but non-football member on July 1, 2016. At that time, the football team began a transition from the second-level Division I Football Championship Subdivision (FCS) to the top-level Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS). The team played the 2016 season as an FCS independent, joined SBC football for the 2017 season, and became full FBS members for 2018 and beyond. A Chanticleer is a proud and fierce rooster. Before joining the SBC, the Chanticleers had been members of the Big South Conference since that league's formation in 1983. Coastal fields varsity teams in 19 sports, 8 for men and 11 for women. The university regularly competed for the Sasser Cup, the Big South's trophy for the university with the best sports program among the member institutions, winning the trophy nine times, tied with rival Liberty University.

David Masur is a retired American soccer midfielder who played professionally in the Major Indoor Soccer League, American Professional Soccer League and USISL. He is the head coach of the St. John's University men's soccer team. He was the 1996 NCAA Division I Coach of the Year and led the Red Storm to the 1996 NCAA national championship.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2015–16 South Carolina Gamecocks men's basketball team</span> American college basketball season

The 2015–16 South Carolina Gamecocks men's basketball team represented the University of South Carolina during the 2015–16 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. The team's head coach was Frank Martin who was in his fourth season at South Carolina. The team played their home games at Colonial Life Arena in Columbia, South Carolina as a member of the Southeastern Conference. They finished the season 25–9, 11–7 in SEC play to finish in a three-way tie for third place. They lost in the quarterfinals of the SEC tournament to Georgia. They were invited to the National Invitation Tournament where they defeated High Point in the first round to advance to the second round where they lost to Georgia Tech.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">South Carolina Gamecocks men's golf</span> American college golf team

The South Carolina Gamecocks men's golf team represents the University of South Carolina and competes in the Southeastern Conference in Division I of the NCAA. Major team victories include the 1964 ACC Championship, the 1991 Metro Conference Championship, and the 2007 NCAA West Regional Championship. The Gamecocks also had runner-up finishes in the 1968 ACC Championship; the 1984, 1986, 1988, 1989, and 1990 Metro Conference Championships; and the 1998, 2008, 2013, and 2015 SEC Championships. Under the guidance of head coach Bill McDonald, the South Carolina men's golf program has won or shared 21 tournament titles and made seven NCAA championship appearances. Last season the Gamecocks finished ninth at the NCAA Championship and matched the school record of nine top-five finishes in 12 events, including three tournament wins.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2016–17 South Carolina Gamecocks men's basketball team</span> American college basketball season

The 2016–17 South Carolina Gamecocks men's basketball team represented the University of South Carolina during the 2016–17 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. The team's head coach, Frank Martin, was in his fifth season at South Carolina. The team played its home games at Colonial Life Arena in Columbia, South Carolina as a member of the Southeastern Conference. They finished the season 26–11, 12–6 in SEC play to finish in a tie for third place. They lost in the quarterfinals of the SEC tournament to Alabama. They received an at-large bid to the NCAA tournament where they defeated Marquette, Duke, Baylor and SEC member Florida to advance to their first final four in school history where they lost to Gonzaga. Their final total of 26 wins is the most wins in school history.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">SEC Derby</span> College soccer rivalry in the U.S.

The SEC Derby is the set of matches between the University of Kentucky Wildcats and University of South Carolina Gamecocks men's soccer teams. A conference matchup since 2005, since the 2022 season, it has been a conference matchup in the Sun Belt Conference. Both programs had been single-sport members of Conference USA (C-USA) from 2005 through the 2021 season. Both teams are the only colleges in the Southeastern Conference (SEC) which sponsor men's soccer, which the conference does not sponsor as an indirect consequence of Title IX restrictions. South Carolina had started its program in 1978 while an independent, and UK started its program in 1991. From 1991 to 2004, UK had been a Mid-American Conference member for men's soccer only. Despite having joined the Metro Conference in 1983, South Carolina continued to play men's soccer as an independent, not joining for that sport until 1993, two years after the rest of its athletic program had joined the SEC. The Gamecocks also played in the Metro in that league's final men's soccer season of 1994. The following year, C-USA was created with the merger of the Metro with the Great Midwest Conference, a league that had been formed in 1991 by a group of schools that included three charter Metro members. South Carolina was not invited to remain as a men's soccer member after the merger.

The 2021 NCAA Division I men's soccer season was the 63rd season of NCAA championship men's college soccer. After the 2020 NCAA Division I men's soccer season was disrupted by the COVID-19 pandemic, the 2021 season partially returned to normal. However, despite the development of several vaccines, the pandemic was still ongoing, which might have led to various local or regional disruptions. Also, many conferences did not fully return to their pre-COVID state, with several having changed postseason tournament formats.

References

  1. "Colors – Communications and Public Affairs | University of South Carolina" . Retrieved July 16, 2019.
  2. "University of South Carolina Official Athletic Site". Gamecocksonline.com. Retrieved 2015-04-26.
  3. "Stone Stadium Review". stadiumjourney.com. Retrieved 2015-04-26.