Gamecocks challenge No. 12 St. John’s
After falling to Coastal Carolina in its first of two straight games against ranked opponents, South Carolina men’s soccer will look to right the ship against No. 12 St. John’s when the team heads to New York City Friday.
While a 700-mile road trip to play a top-20 team may seem like a daunting task, coach Mark Berson says there is a method to the madness when scheduling such an opponent.
“One of the things we want to try to do is get our guys experience playing out of the region and in different areas,” Berson said. “So that when we get to the NCAA tournament and you start to make a run, you need to play these games on the road.”
The Gamecocks (2-2-0) will travel to the Big Apple fresh off a 3-1 loss at Coastal Tuesday, the team’s first match of a three-game road trip.
Freshman Ive Burnett recorded the first goal of his career in just the fifth minute of the match to give South Carolina an early 1-0 lead, but the Chanticleers tied the score in minute 12 and never looked back.
While the loss will feel like a missed opportunity for the Gamecocks after taking the lead early, Berson said playing games against ranked teams such as St. John’s and Coastal Carolina — who was ranked in the top-25 at the time of the game — can do nothing but help the team’s national perception.
“I don’t think there’s really much downside to it other than that we’ve got to make sure we have a good record at the end of the year,” Berson said. “When you play the top teams, from an NCAA selection standpoint, you don’t have to win them all.”
The Red Storm (3-1-0) will enter the clash with South Carolina on the heels of a two-game win streak that includes a victory over the nation’s seventh-ranked team, Akron.
This year, St. John’s will look to expand on a 2012 season that saw the team reach the NCAA tournament, only to take a heartbreaking 1-0 loss to Fairleigh Dickinson in the first round.
Putting the playing aspect of the trip aside, the Gamecock locker room is abuzz with excitement over a rare trip to NYC, according to senior midfielder/defender J.P. Rafferty.
“It’s just going to be awesome for the guys to get to go to New York City and get to be a part of that experience,” Rafferty said. “A road trip like that, I think that’ll be awesome.”
Four games into the season, Rafferty leads the team in scoring with two goals, both of which he scored against High Point.
Though the senior is excited for the opportunity his team will have come Friday, he is confident South Carolina will be all business against the Red Storm.
“Going out there and beating St. John’s would help definitely get us some recognition throughout the country,” Rafferty said.
The Gamecocks will kick off against the Red Storm at 8 p.m. Friday in St. John’s’ Belson Stadium in Queens, N.Y.
With the season still early and conference play several weeks away, Berson is being careful not to undervalue the nonconference schedule that his team is currently in the heart of. The coach believes that playing teams such as St. John’s and Coastal Carolina early in the year ensures his team will be ready when games start to count towards the team’s conference record.
“We need to get in there and mix it up with some of these best teams, get an idea of where we are and get challenged on the road,” Berson said. “And then we’ll be ready for our conference.”