With a disappointing season last year, the men’s soccer team look to rebound for their 2015-2016 campaign. Owning a record of 10-10 and a 3-5 conference play, the Gamecocks need to improve on some of their major flaws.
For one, they need to play better at home. Owning a below .500 record on your home pitch cannot be something head coach Mark Berson is content with. Behind a home crowd in Stone Stadium should be enough to boost a performance. Even so, the Gamecocks played six overtime games at home — half of which were double overtime — and lost three of them. While giving the crowd some free game is a courteous gesture, I’m sure the audience would liked to have seen all those games end with a win after 90 minutes of play. And the home schedule doesn’t get easier for the Gamecocks this season. They will have to take on a traditional powerhouse team in New Mexico in the league opener and Old Dominion, the squad that knocked them out of the Conference USA tournament last year and ended the season ranked No. 20, later in the season. Tack on a solid Coastal Carolina team who finished No. 21 in the NCAA rankings and it will be a difficult home slate. For a team that averages 2600 in home attendance, you would think they would play better behind a big crowd.
Another big focus for this season should be set pieces. Last season, the Gamecocks drew 242 fouls (12 per game), and while not all those would be in a position for an attempt on goal, the desolate 1.5 goals per game should be higher. To make matters worse, USC goofed on many a corner kick. Usually an average of 5.5 corners per game — nearly one more than the opponent — means that the shots on target should be well above average, but last season, South Carolina only averaged around 5.5 shots on goal per match. Set pieces and corner kicks means that the attacking team has an advantage as they have a play in mind and can direct the ball to presumably their best aerial attacker. An easy way to increase goals scored is to convert on set pieces.
The last big improvement the team needs to make is on the leadership side. Last season, seniors Mahamoudou Kaba and Braeden Troyer were the captains of the team, and they were stars of the team, especially Kaba. This season, two foreigners will have to step up, specifically on the offensive side. Sophomore Kurtis Turner played in England for Barnsley FC at the FA Youth Cup before arriving at South Carolina, and he made a huge impact for the team. He started 19 games and played the fourth most minutes on the team. During the season, 44 percent of his shots were on target, scoring on three of them. His counterpart, Mikkel Knudsen from Denmark, leads the team in scoring with eight goals. At 6-foot-3, he stands out like a tree among bushes in the box. Therefore, most of the corners should be directed toward him. Overall, the two main offensive guys need to put the team on their backs and up the average goals per game.