After starting off 7-0-1, South Carolina is in a downward spiral, having lost 4 of their last 6 after losing 1-0 to Charleston Wednesday. http://uscsports.ocsn.com/sports/m-soccer/recaps/102302aaa.html BTW, if you think the Saint Louis fans disappear when their team stumbles, the chest-pounding, smack-talking SC fans have been as hard to spot as the DC sniper since the Cocks went in the tank.
I really like this title so I'm gonna leave it, but the [R] doesn't do much good if you imply the end result in the title!
Ha Ha Ha Ha. What a great post to read to start the day. You are right on. I'm sure we'll hear about them again next year...I'm having trouble fuguring out who disappeared the fastest, USC fans or UNC fans.
TarHeel fans are still around Fix, and so are the Heels. Yes, they are struggling, but if they get a bid to the tourney, They've got just as good a chance as anyone. They still have very good players, just haven't figured it out yet. Don't be surprised to see them make a run. But saying that, I'm reasonable enough to say that don't be surprised if they crash and burn either.
The Cocks continue to sag, losing at home to Furman 1-0 on a goal by Ricardo Clark. http://www.furmanpaladins.com/soccer_m/seasons/2002/pressrel/usc.htm After starting 7-0-1 SC has now lost 5 of its last 7. Was Ricky Quest really that big a key to the team that they can't win without him? And, it doesn't get much easier for the Cocks. They finish the reg. season with @ undefeated Coastal Carolina (14-0-1), @ suprising Winthrop (10-3-1), vs. defending national champion North Carolinba (10-5-1) and vs. Florida International (7-4-1). After losing to Clemson and Furman, suddenly SC needs to beat Winthrop and Coastal just to be the third best team in the Palmetto State!
So, where are all the chest-pounding SC fans who were so loud and plentiful here when the Cocks were undefeated? I think we'd all like to hear an explanation as to why SC has gone in the tank of late and it's likely the Carolina fans are in the best position to do this.
Sandon - no way one player can make that much difference in a team. If so, USC has really big problems. If a coach hangs the hopes of his team on one player, then he deserves to get worked 5 out of 7. Piss poor recruiting...But what can you expect when you are the 5th best team in the state? As for the chest pounders, we won't hear from them again until next year when the Cocks travel to Clemson to take their annual loss. At least the UNC fans came back after a few weeks. Now that should be a big game, UNC v USC....A BigSoccer classic
I don't think their recruiting was poor. Besides Quest leaving, didn't another crucial player leave before the season started?
Quest Hey--Ricky Quest played in 6 games, and scored 3 goals. What's the big deal? Did he have a mess of assists, or what? --King Eric
SOOOO...the SC fans will reappear AFTER they lose to Clemson next year? Some sense that makes. IMO Quest isnt quality enough to affect the team extremely one way or the other, think its just a bad run of form at the moment. against decent teams tho (Furman, Clemson, Wake,Charleston) And as for 3rd best in SC, you must be joking. It's a straight toss up between Clemson and USC. Either could win on any given day although I certainly dont think Clemson deserved to win the only game that has taken place between the two this year.
Uh... A) the talk about the Clemson game has the shallow ring of excuses and wishful thinking. B) Furman BEAT South Carolina... IN COLUMBIA!!! The proof is in the pudding and the tapioca says the Cocks didn't get it done when it mattered against Furman. They also lost to Clemson so there is NO WAY they get to claim they are one of the 2 best teams in the state. C) Time will soon tell if they deserve to be considered the third best team in the Palmetto State. They play undefeated Coastal Carolina and a better-than-you-think Winthrop in the next couple of weeks. If they want the state's bronze soccer medal, they have to step up and win both these games.
Cocks on the rocks again (R) Coastal Chanticleers 3, Gamecocks 0 Here's the link http://uscsports.ocsn.com/sports/m-soccer/recaps/110102aaa.html
Wow, the Cocks can't even claim to be the third best team in the state that bears the name of their university. Pretty sad. Meanwhile, Coastal is starting to seem like they are for real, what with them being 1 of 2 undefeated teams left in the country.
Does anyone have any info on what is happening with SC? They've dropped like a rock. Are they still going to make the NCAA's?
coastal i caught the second half at patriot's point, and i must say, the cocks' defense and goalkeeping is suspect at best! although USC held the better of posession for the entire second half, coastal proved to be the more opportunistic team with counterattacking play. The cocks did not really create manay dangerous chances despite holding onto the ball for long stretches. the single most surprising element of the game for me was the ease with which coastal got behind the USC defense, and the unsure goalkeeping that soon followed. the second and third goals were purely counterattacks in which the coastal forward simply ran past the carolina defense, no real resistance at all...weird. we'll see if berson can sort them out...i would say that the NCAA's are a HUGE maybe for USC this year....