Oct. 22, 2007

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SPARTANBURG, S.C. - When USC Upstate hits the field this week, it will be against two teams the Spartans have never played before.

Florida Gulf Coast which, like the Spartans, is in its first year as a member of NCAA Division I and the Atlantic Sun Conference, comes into Friday night's game tied for seventh place in the A-Sun standings with seven points on a 2-4-1 record. The Eagles trail Upstate in the standings by two points as the Spartans enter Friday's game with a 3-4-0 record with nine points in the conference. FGCU has played seven opponents that Upstate has played this year, claiming an overtime win over Georgia State and wins over Mercer and North Florida. The losses to common opponents came at the hands of Jacksonville, Lipscomb and Belmont, while the Eagles tied Campbell.

Stetson enters this week's games with a 4-2-1 mark with 14 points in the A-Sun. The Hatters are in fourth place, just three points out of first held by Campbell. Stetson has also played seven common opponents of the Spartans this year, claiming wins over Clemson, Mercer, North Florida and Belmont while taking losses against Campbell and Jacksonville. The Hatters tied Lipscomb.

Both games will be broadcast live on ASun.TV. with live statistical updates provided by Gametracker.

Looking Back at Last Week
USC Upstate entered last week's conference games tied for fourth in the A-Sun standings and were primed to keep their place in the top half of the league. However, a lackluster performance at Mercer delivered a 3-0 defeat and the Spartans returned to Macon, Ga., searching for answers. However, Upstate quickly regrouped for the trip to Buies Creek, N.C., and played a tremendous game against the first-place Camels Saturday evening before allowing a goal with 35 seconds remaining in regulation to fall to Campbell, 1-0.

The two losses dropped Upstate to a 3-11-0 overall record and a 3-4-0 mark with nine points in the A-Sun. The Spartans are sixth in the A-Sun standings and have the opportunity to reach 15 points if the team can secure wins over Florida Gulf Coast and Stetson.

Spreading the Ball Around
USC Upstate certainly has called on different people to help put the ball into the back of the net this season. Upstate has scored 14 goals and dished out 13 assists this season for 41 total points. Twelve different Spartans have recorded at least one point this year with eight scoring at least one goal.

Carter Ridgeway leads the team in scoring with seven points on three goals and an assist. Jack Burridge and Troy Simon are tied for second on the team with six points. Chad McCoy, with five points, leads the Spartans with three assists on the year, while Ridgeway and Burridge are tied for the team lead in goals with three apiece. Three different players have notched the game-winning goals for Upstate this year (Ridgeway, Simon and Landon Fruge').

Spartans Strong at Home
Since moving into County University Soccer Stadium, the Upstate men's soccer program has been tough to beat. Actually, since the inception of the program in 1980, the Spartans have been stout on the Spartanburg campus.

Upstate is an impressive 54-11-3 at the friendly confines of County University Soccer Stadium for a winning percentage of .816. Overall, Upstate is 222-44-13 at home for an .819 winning percentage in Spartanburg.

Upstate played its first season in the quad behind the Administrative Building prior to moving to historic Rifle Field in 1981. The Spartans (then, the Rifles) tallied a 162-30-10 record for an .802 winning percentage at Rifle Field.

Looking for 275
When USC Upstate wins its next game, it will be an historic victory as head coach Greg Hooks will have secured win No. 275 in his 20-year career as a head coach.

Hooks an Accomplished Field Leader
USC Upstate head coach Greg Hooks has had an accomplished 20-year coaching career. He has a career record of 274-84-23 with coaching stints at Spartanburg Methodist (1985), Lees-McRae (1986-87), University of Charleston (1991-94), and USC Upstate (1995-present). He started the programs at both Lees-McRae and University of Charleston, leading both programs to national rankings. He took over the Upstate program in 1995 and coached the team to an appearance in the NCAA Division II National Championship game and returned the team to the title game in 1998. He has led Upstate to 187 victories, five Peach Belt Conference regular season championships, six Peach Belt Conference Tournament titles, and five NCAA Tournament appearances. Hooks ended his reign in NCAA Division II as the division's second winningest coach all-time and currently ranks 20th all-time in the history of the NCAA, regardless of division standing.

Spartan Soccer - A Story of Success
While the USC Upstate Athletics Department has had a storied history of success throughout its existence, the men's soccer program has achieved success on a more consistent level than any other program at the University. Upstate men's soccer finished third in the NAIA National Tournament three straight years from 1983-85 and made 10 NCAA Tournament appearances in 16 years in the NCAA Division II. The Spartans claimed seven regular season Peach Belt Conference championships, nine Peach Belt Conference Tournament titles, and advanced to the championship game of the league tournament 14 times in 16 years.

Buxton Receives Preseason Honors
Junior defender Nick Buxton was a preseason All-Conference selection by the A-Sun coaches. The Towcester, England, native was an All-Conference and All-Region selection last year for the Spartans. Although a defender, he finished as the fifth leading scorer on the team with nine points on three goals and three assists.