USC gears up for Clemson

Most people on campus are getting excited about the big football game this week. Talk to any member of the Carolina men's soccer team, and they have a different game on their mind. This weekend, the boys of USC soccer open up their 2008 season with a Friday night showdown against arch-rival Clemson.

The Gamecocks will take the field on their home turf at Stone Stadium ready to play after a strong preseason showing. This past Saturday, USC played to a decisive win over N.C. State, defeating the Wolfpack 3-0. The strong offensive showing was led by a two-goal performance from sophomore forward Sam Arthur.

South Carolina has also been very strong on the defensive side of the ball in exhibition play this year. Goalkeepers Jimmy Maurer and Sean Nguyen have not allowed a single goal throughout the preseason.

"I thought the key (in the N.C. State win) was that, defensively, we were very solid," coach Mark Berson said. "It's nice to have two shutouts over two quality teams."

Clemson comes into Friday night's game lacking the preseason boost that Carolina has. In the two exhibition games that the Tigers have competed in this season, they tied Winthrop, and were handed a sound defeat by UAB. Clemson is also coming off of a losing season last year, winning only seven matches and dropping 11.

Despite the fact that Clemson lacks the momentum that USC has for opening night, this rival matchup is always a thriller. Last year at Clemson in front of a record crowd of nearly 7,000, the two teams played a scoreless game until Carolina freshman Blake Brettschneider scored the winning goal in the second overtime. The win was just the second victory for South Carolina against Clemson since 1996.

"Clemson has a good team," coach Berson said. "Every year, it seems to be a down-to-the-wire situation, and I would be surprised if (this year) was anything different."

Looking to spoil the Gamecocks celebration this year will be midfielder Tommy Drake. Last year as a freshman, Drake was named to the freshman All-ACC list after an impressive first season. USC starting goalie Jimmy Maurer will have to lookout for Drake late in the game, as the Clemson athlete scored three-game winning goals last season, all against top 25 teams.

Offensive leaders for the Gamecocks against Clemson will include Arthur and Brettschneider, as well as senior David Smith. Smith got the offense rolling against N.C. State with a goal in the first five minutes of last week's match.

The season opener begins a tough schedule for the Gamecocks, consisting of 17 games in a little more than two months. The season culminates in early November with the Conference-USA tournament followed by the NCAA Championship.

Friday night's game will begin at 7 p.m.