N C A A D I I To u r n a m e n t
2003 The 2003 Rifles entered the season as the sixth-ranked team in the NSCAA Top 25 poll, and it would be a prophetic ranking by year’s end. USCS started quickly by winning its first three games of the season before facing Lander in an epic battle. The Bearcats scored in the 17th-minute and played inspired defense to keep USCS scoreless until Preben Ringerike tied the match in the 83rd-minute to tie the match and send it into overtime. Once in OT, Ringerike ended the match 1:51 into the extra period to lift the Rifles to the win. USCS dispatched of all comers and rose to No. 2 in the poll with a 13-0-0 record heading into the final two regular season games of the year. The Rifles had already claimed the regular season Peach Belt Championship and all but clinched a second straight NCAA Tournament berth. USCS took its show on the road to Clinton, S.C., where a defensive minded Presbyterian club awaited the Rifles. In a constant, heavy rain, Presbyterian scored with less than five minutes to play and USCS had two goals called back on controversial offsides calls as the Blue Hose upset USCS, 1-0, to hand the Rifles their first loss on the season. It would later end up being its only official loss. USCS defeated Tusculum, 8-1, to clinch the No. 1 seed in the Southeast Region heading into the postseason. USCS defeated Clayton State and UNC Pembroke (on penalty kicks) for its ninth tournament title in 13 years of the event and its third in a row. USCS hosted the first two rounds of the NCAA Tournament. After a first round bye, USCS faced Carson-Newman in the second round. The game headed into overtime where the Eagles prevailed on penalty kicks, ending Upstate’s season with a 15-1-2 record. Ricky Charles earned Peach Belt Player of the Year honors and was joined on the All-Conference team by Gary Lynch, Preben Ringerike, and Almir Barbosa. Barbosa was named the PBC Tournament MVP and was joined on the All-Tournament team by Andrew Frame, Josh Richardson and Janiel Simon. Charles, Ringerike, Lynch and Liam Slack earned All-Region honors and Charles picked up his second All-America award. Head Coach Greg Hooks was awarded the Peach Belt Coach of the Year honor for the third
2006 In its last year as a member of NCAA Division II and the Peach Belt Conference, Upstate wanted to go out with a bang. The Spartans started the quest for their first NCAA Tournament bid since 2003 by winning its first two matches before suffering a 1-1 tie to Limestone in what would be a prophetic match. Upstate answered with five straight wins, including a 5-0 drubbing of rival Lander, which was ranked No. 5 at the time. Upstate suffered its first loss of the season in a 1-0 decision to UNC Pembroke. Upstate rattled off three more wins before settling for a tie, a loss and a win to end the regular season with an 11-2-2 record and a 4-2-1 mark in the Peach Belt. The No. 3 seed in the Peach Belt Tournament, the Spartans fell in the semifinals but did enough in the regular season and the league tournament to earn its 10th NCAA Tournament appearance in 16 years as a member of Division II. Upstate faced Limestone in the opening round of the tournament hosted by Lander in Greenwood, S.C., and again battled to a tie after regulation and overtime. However, the Saints prevailed on penalty kicks to end Upstate’s run in the tournament and Division II. Liam Slack became the program’s only three-time All-American and goalkeeper Ryan Cooper joined him on the All-America list. Cooper, Slack, Nick Buxton and Troy Mellanson earned All-Conference and All-Region honors. Slack became the third-leading scorer in the history of the program and the fourth-leading scorer in Peach Belt Conference history.
2009 Spartans Men’s Soccer
Men’s Soccer Med ia Guid e
time in his career. And the final national ranking...No. 6.
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