USC aims to defend conference title
The goals for USC men’s soccer and coach Mark Berson are the same every year: win the Conference USA and national championships.
Last year, the team was able to win the C-USA Tournament Championship after knocking off Tulsa, but fell short of the second goal after losing to Michigan in the Sweet 16 of the NCAA Tournament.
Despite losing seniors Jimmy Maurer, Sam Arthur, Blake Brettschneider and four others, the expectations are high after the team’s improbable run last season with an array of injuries. Vance Benson and Eric Martinez will all return to the team after being out for all or most of the 2010 campaign.
“I think the [expectations] should be high,” Berson said. “Through the years we’ve been to three Elite Eights, two Final Fours, five Sweet 16s and one championship final, and I think the University of South Carolina soccer (program) has those kind of expectations. These players that have come in, that’s what they’ve bought into. They bought into the opportunity to play at the highest level and the opportunity to play for championships.”
The team is undoubtedly young this year as 19 players out of the 29-man roster are freshmen or sophomores; however, sophomores Chipper Root and Bradlee Baladez, who both saw significant playing time last season, will return as leaders on the field.
Baladez was second on the squad with six goals and 63 shots. He was an All-Conference USA third-team selection and was also named to the All-Freshman team last fall.
Root, also an All-Freshman selection, suffered a broken leg in the spring during practice, but is expected to play for the Gamecocks.
“He’s had an uphill climb to get ready, but he is back and he is ready,” Berson said. “No one has worked harder than Chipper to get back for this preseason. It was a tight timetable to see if he’d be able to get here ready to play, and he’s done it, so that’s a real credit to him.”
Perhaps the biggest question going into the season is who will replace Jimmy Maurer at goalkeeper. Maurer started every game from the moment he stepped on campus, recording 318 saves and 28 shutouts.
Sophomore Alex Long was Maurer’s backup through last season, playing just 17 minutes in USC’s final regular season game against Memphis, and appears to have the edge going into the season.
“Obviously, we have a big place to fill with Jimmy gone,” Berson said. “Alex Long has done a wonderful job — he’s been a backup for the last two years. Also, we have a number of goalkeepers, and all four goalkeepers have done a very good job in preseason. We have Ross Power, a senior who’s been in the program for four years and worked hard. Chris Duzan and Robert Beebe are freshmen coming in who have a great future. Right now, with experience, Alex has an edge, but all of those guys have done a good job in the goal, so I feel like we’re very solid in the goal.”
The Gamecocks will host Elon Saturday night in an exhibition event before opening the season at College of Charleston next week.
“I think last year was a tremendous year, both academically, where the team achieved the No. 1 GPA in the nation in Division-1, and also on the field, where they went to the Sweet 16,” Berson said. “We want to keep moving forward.”