The College of Charleston men’s soccer team’s season opener will be featured as the NSCAA Game of the Week on FOX Soccer as the Cougars face the No. 12 South Carolina Gamecocks at Patriots Point on Friday, Aug. 26 at 6 p.m.
Since 2005, the National Soccer Coaches Association of America (NSCAA) and FOX Soccer have joined forces to offer live and exclusive NSCAA College Game of the Week telecasts. This season’s schedule includes eight women’s and 12 men’s matches, and kicks off with the exciting bout between CofC and No. 12 USC.
“We are extremely excited to be the featured match to kick off the regular season of college soccer on Fox Soccer Channel,” said CofC head coach Ralph Lundy. “The NSCAA and Fox Soccer Channel do a phenomenal job of promoting college soccer and our program is going to take advantage of this wonderful opportunity.”
The season opener between the Cougars and No. 12 Gamecocks will be a highly touted match which deserves the national spotlight. Both teams were 2010 NCAA Championship participants as CofC advanced to the second round before losing to eventual tournament runner-up Louisville, while USC advanced to the third round where they fell to Michigan, an eventual semifinalist.
The match also features two of the most successful coaches in collegiate soccer. Lundy ranks third in wins (406) among active Division I men’s soccer coaches while USC head coach Mark Berson leads the list with 441 victories.
Fans who cannot watch the match live will be able to view NSCAA College Game of the Week telecasts on-demand via FOXSoccer.tv, Fox Soccer’s broadband video service.
The Cougars are also teaming with Water Missions International to aid the nonprofit organization in its mission to serve the water and sanitation needs of people in developing countries and disaster areas. Lundy has long worked with Water Missions International to collect and donate used soccer equipment to accompany the organization on their missions across the world. Any student between the ages of five and 18 who brings a used piece of soccer equipment will receive free admission to the game.
Our goal is to break Patriots Point’s attendance record and it is imperative that we have all of our students and the community come out and support the Cougars,” said Lundy. “We want to show the nation what Charleston soccer is all about and what better way to do that than on FOX Soccer Channel.”
Tickets to the match and all CofC soccer matches can be purchased online at www.cofcsports.com/tickets or by calling the box office at 843-953-COFC (2632). Season ticket packages are on sale now and tickets to individual matches became available on Monday, Aug. 1.
