June 19, 2006

2006 Schedule in PDF Format
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University of South Carolina men's soccer coach Mark Berson has announced his team's 2006 season schedule. The Gamecocks begin their second season competing in Conference USA and will play nine matches inside the friendly confines of Eugene E. Stone III Stadium.

South Carolina makes its 2006 debut in Columbia on Friday, Aug. 25, against archrival Clemson at 7 p.m. After the tilt with the Tigers, the Gamecocks will hit the road for a pair of matches, traveling to Spartanburg to take on Wofford Monday, Aug. 28, and then to Williamsburg, Va., for a Sept. 2 battle with William & Mary.

Carolina returns to Columbia for its longest homestand of the year, a stretch of four-straight games at the Graveyard. On Tuesday, Sept. 5, the Gamecocks welcome Centenary. USC will then host its annual adidas/Gamecock Classic on Friday and Sunday, Sept. 8 and 10. Carolina plays Temple on Friday at 7:30 p.m. and then meets Alabama A&M on Sunday at 2:30 p.m. Winthrop is the fourth team in the Classic.

Davidson visits Stone Stadium to conclude the stretch of home games on Sunday, Sept. 17. In its final non-conference match, the Gamecocks cross the state line to tangle with North Carolina State on Wednesday, Sept. 20. The match will be played at the site of last year's College Cup, the SAS Soccer Complex in Cary, N.C.

Carolina dives into Conference USA play with a pair of home matches. The Gamecocks host Memphis on Sunday, Sept. 24, before UAB makes the trip to Columbia for a match on Wednesday, Sept. 27.

The Gamecocks open the month of October on the road with a conference match at Kentucky on Oct. 1. USC is back at home for a Saturday night tilt with Florida International on Oct. 7 before back-to-back road matches against Marshall in Huntington, W. Va. (Oct. 14), and 2005 C-USA regular season champion SMU in Dallas (Oct. 18).

On Saturday, Oct. 21, South Carolina wraps up the regular season home slate with a match against UCF. The Gamecocks travel to Tulsa on Oct. 28 in a re-match of last season's C-USA Tournament title game to cap the regular season campaign.

The 2006 Conference USA Tournament is scheduled for Nov. 1-5 at a location still to be determined. The NCAA College Cup will be played in St. Louis, Mo., Saturday, Dec. 1, and Monday, Dec. 3.

In 2005, South Carolina captured the Conference USA Tournament Championship and competed in the NCAA Tournament for the 18th time in school history. Berson, who enters his 29th season at the helm of the Gamecocks, returns 16 lettermen and eight starters from the 2005 team.

2006 SOUTH CAROLINA MEN'S SOCCER SCHEDULE
August
25  Clemson  7 p.m.
28  at Wofford  7 p.m.
September
2   at William & Mary  7 p.m.
5   Centenary  7 p.m.
8   Temple  7:30 p.m.!
10  Alabama A&M  2:30 p.m.!
17  Davidson  2 p.m.
20  vs. NC State  7 p.m.#
24  Memphis*  2 p.m.
27  UAB*  7 p.m.
October
1   at Kentucky*  2:30 p.m.
7   Fla. International*  7 p.m.
14  at Marshall*  7 p.m.
18  at SMU*  7 p.m.
21  UCF*  7 p.m.
28  at Tulsa*  7 p.m.
November
1-5    Conference USA Tournament
10-11  NCAA First Round
15     NCAA Second Round
18-19  NCAA Third Round
24-26  NCAA Quarterfinals
December
1-3    NCAA College Cup (St. Louis, Mo.)
! adidas/Gamecock Classic (Columbia, S.C.)
# played at SAS Soccer Park (Cary, N.C.)
* Conference USA opponent