USC men's soccer plays host to conference rivals Tulsa and Southern Methodist this weekend and with a pair of wins can put themselves in position to win the Conference USA regular season title and secure a No. 1 seed in the conference tournament.
That will be a challenge, though, as Tulsa enters the competition 4-7-6 and SMU comes to Columbia undefeated in Conference USA play and ranked No. 11 nationally. Both SMU and Tulsa feature high-scoring offenses and a similar attacking style, but USC plans to use its size and physical play to its advantage.
"The game may be determined by who meets who in terms of style of play," said USC coach Mark Berson.
Beyond the challenge of this weekend lies a trip to Florida to round out the regular season. The two games against University of Central Florida and Florida International were originally scheduled for the weekend of Oct. 21, but were postponed because of Hurricane Wilma.
The rescheduled games "cramp everything as far as traveling," said senior defender Eric Szeszycki, but Berson is looking forward to the trip.
"I am excited," he said. "It's an opportunity to play two good games and improve our standing."
USC looks to ride its current momentum into these final four games. Although they started the season slowly, they have rebounded well, including a seven-game unbeaten streak starting Sept. 18. It is important to note they lost five games within the first 10 days of the season.
After recovering from the initial skid, the Gamecocks have gone 6-1-1 and would love to see their hot streak continue. If the team wins its remaining games, an SMU draw or loss against East Carolina on Friday will ensure the Gamecocks a top seed berth in the tournament.
"All credit goes to our players. They've shown great mental toughness in the past month," Berson said about the team's midseason turnaround.
Berson and Szeszycki stressed the importance of having support in home games. The first 100 spectators at each game this weekend will get a free USC beanie hat.
This weekend, the rest of USC's student body will have the chance to come out and get the team rolling through Florida and the conference tournament. The games start at 7 p.m. Friday and 1 p.m. Saturday.
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