Men's Soccer | August 30, 2022

Each week, the University of South Carolina Aiken will produce weekly notes. This week, the University of South Carolina Aiken men's soccer team opens the season with a pair of home contests. Year 27

Head coach Ike Ofoje enters his 27^th year at the helm of the men's soccer program. This marks the 18th year in which he will solely coach one team. From 1997-2005, he started and coached the women's team as well. Ofoje's team is coming off a 2-1 road win at North Georgia on the season finale last year.

Solid Core Of Returners

USC Aiken has an abundance of talent returning to a team that was competitive in 2021 but did not garner the results they were looking for. Head coach Ike Ofoje's team has three redshirt-seniors along with four other seniors on the roster. Additionally, the squad boasts four juniors and five sophomores. The returns gained a wealth of experience from the amount of playing time earned in 2021.


Talented Newcomers

In addition to head coach Ike Ofoje's core returners, he added a tremendous amount of newcomers with a wealth of talent. The newcomers cover positions all over the pitch. Look for some of the newcomers to earn a starting role or play valuable minutes in the early part of the season. 

Coaching Depth

Head coach Ike Ofoje added Adam Howarth to the staff that also includes former standout Eugene Eshun-Phillips. Howarth played professionally after his stellar career at Rhode Island. There, he helped URI win a pair of Atlantic 10 titles. Howarth played for Cheltenham Town FC, AC Kajaani and Bath City FC. He holds. Premier Diploma, Advanced National Diploma, National Diploma and English Football Association Level 2 Coaching Badge.

Not The Earliest Start

Head coach Ike Ofoje's team opens the slate on Aug. 31, which is earlier than many years. However, the team has opened an entire week earlier in the past. The earliest start in USC Aiken men's soccer history came on Aug. 24. However, the earliest the team has won a match during the fall season has been on Aug. 26.

Inside The Numbers

This week, the Pacers open the season with matches against Newberry on Wednesday, Aug. 31 and against Barton on Saturday, Sept. 3. Since moving to Division II, USC Aiken is 43-105-19 (31.4 percent) in Wednesday matches and 64-118-18 (36.5 percent) in Saturday contests. During the same time, the team is 1-1-1 on Aug. 31 and 1-1 on Sept. 3. 

Series History

This week, USC Aiken takes on Newberry and Barton. The Pacers are 9-5-2 in the all-time series against the Wolves. The team is 2-2 in the all-time series against the Bulldogs.