The South Carolina men’s soccer team will begin its 2019 regular season on Aug. 30 when they travel upstate to face Palmetto State foe Clemson at 7 p.m.
The Gamecocks’ schedule will also include six 2018 NCAA Tournament teams, such as Southern Conference champ Furman on Sept. 18, Sweet 16 participant NC State on Oct. 15 and Elite Eight participant Kentucky on Oct. 27.
After a 7-10 record in 2018, South Carolina looks to join these teams in making the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2016. To accomplish this, head coach Mark Berson will bring back 2018 veterans in his 42nd season, such as second team All-C-USA member Luca Mayr.
The senior midfielder led the Gamecocks last season with 11 goals and three assists, in numerous matches. Among those matches was a game-winning goal by Mayr in extra time at No. 19 Virginia Tech and the lone goal in a win against conference opponent Georgia State.
Another key player returning to South Carolina is junior midfielder Mitchell Myers, who led last year’s team in with five assists and nine goals and earned third team All-C-USA honors last season.
Also returning to play at Stone Stadium is senior forward Tucker Monheimer, who tallied for nine goals and also succeeded in critical moments last season, as he came up with the game-winning goal against Lipscomb for the Gamecocks’ first win of the 2018 campaign.
The Gamecocks will also welcome 12 freshmen onto the team, three of which earned TopDrawerSoccer All-American honors: forward Logan Frost, defender Mark Roby and defender Ethan Rose.
Frost was also team captain of Alabama FC of the Birmingham United Soccer Association and was a Gatorade Player of the Year nominee in high school. Roby was named to the Dallas Morning News All-Metro Team and Rose was named the DiVarsity Class 6A Player of the Year.
With returning and new talent coming to the team for South Carolina, Gamecock nation will be able to catch its first and second glimpses of the team in a pair of exhibition matches.
On Aug. 17th, the Gamecocks will take on Duke at 5 p.m. at Koskinen Stadium in North Carolina and Wofford at Stone Stadium on Aug. 21 at 5 p.m.
After their trip to Clemson, the Gamecocks will have their regular season home opener against the Gardner-Webb Bulldogs on Sept. 3 at 7 p.m. at Stone Stadium.