11/19/2014 12:00:00 AM | Men's Soccer
2014 NCAA Men's Soccer Tournament Digit Program
CONWAY - The 25th-ranked Coastal Carolina Chanticleers start their march toward the College Cup on Thursday hosting Florida Gulf Coast. The Chants and Eagles are set for a 6 p.m. kickoff at the CCU Soccer Stadium.
TICKET INFORMATION
Tickets for the NCAA First Round are available by calling the CCU Athletics Ticket Office at 843-347-8499. Ticket prices are set for $7 for adults and $5 for youth (high school age and below). Coastal Carolina students will be admitted free with a valid CCU ID. Fans may purchase tickets at the South Ticket Booth at Brooks Stadium, beginning at 5 p.m. All tickets are general admission; bleachers are first-come, first-served.
Parking for the match is available at Brooks Stadium or adjacent to The Boni Belle Practice and Hitting Facility.
No. 25 Coastal Carolina (15-5-1, 7-1-1 BSC) vs. Florida Gulf Coast (8-6-5, 4-1-1 A-Sun)
Match 22 | NCAA Tournament First Round
Coastal Carolina Match Notes
Date/Time: Nov. 20, 2014 | 6 p.m. ET
Venue: CCU Soccer Stadium | Conway, S.C.
Video Stream: Big South Network
Live Stats:
STARTING XI
• Coastal Carolina earned its way into the 2014 NCAA Tournament with a 1-0 win over Radford in the Big South Tournament Championship.
• Coastal's NCAA Tournament appearance is the program's 12th overall and fifth straight.
• Thursday's home game against FGCU is the Chants' fourth straight and fifth time overall hosting a NCAA Tournament First Round game. Coastal is a perfect 4-0-0 the previous games, including a 2-0 win over East Tennessee State last season.
• Coastal is 9-10-1 all-time in the NCAA Tournament and has reached the Round of 16 each of the past two seasons.
• Coastal has reached the 15 win mark for the fourth consecutive year.
• The Chants conceded only five goals in 12 matches against Big South competition (including tournament).
• Ricky Garbanzo is Coastal's top goal scorer for the second straight year. He has eight scores on the season.
• Coastal enters the NCAA Tournament as the NCAA's leader in goals scored with 46.
• Coastal has held opponents to 18 total goals in 21 matches for a 0.84 goals against average.
• Five of Coastal's nine regular season non-conference opponents advanced to the NCAA Tournament (Maryland, Clemson, Charlotte, UAB, Furman). Maryland is the No. 4 overall seed, while Clemson is the No. 7 seed and Charlotte is the No. 10 seed.
• 11 of Coastal's 18 regular season opponents, including eight of nine non-conference opponents, have spent at least one week ranked in a top-25 national poll.
HOW THE CHANTS GOT HERE ...
• Coastal won its 12th overall Big South Conference tournament championship to claim the league's automatic berth to the NCAA Men's Soccer Championship. Coastal dispatched Radford 1-0 in the championship match.
• Coastal started the season 2-1 (with all three matches on the road against top-21 ranked opponents) then went 1-2 in its next three game before reeling off an eight-match win streak. The Chants then suffered two losses and a tie to go along with a single win late in the season, but have rebounded to win each of their last four matches by a combined 14-2 score.
LAST TIME VS. FGCU
• Coastal and FGCU have met one prior time with the Eagles taking a 3-2 victory in the 2007 season opener (Aug. 31, 2007) at Coastal Carolina.
CHANTICLEERS IN THE NCAA TOURNAMENT
• 2014 marks the fifth consecutive and 12th overall NCAA Tournament appearance for the Chanticleers.
• The Chants have won at least one tournament match each of the last three seasons.
• Coastal has a 9-10-1 overall record in NCAA Tournament play.
• The Chants have advanced to the Round of 16 four times (1992, 2003, 2012, 2013).
• CCU reached the Round of 16 last season. The Chants defeated East Tennessee State (2-0) at home in the First Round then upset 13th-seeded Charlotte (1-0) in the Second Round before falling to fourth-seeded California in the Round of 16.
• Coastal is 4-0-0 all-time in NCAA Tournament matches played at the CCU Soccer Stadium.
LEADING THE NATION
• The 2014 Chanticleers have quietly jumped into the NCAA lead for total goals with 46 on the season. The Chants have only scored more than four times in one game (7 vs. Longwood on Nov. 8) and have won six contests by a single goal.
• The Chanticleers led the NCAA in total goals in 2011 with 66 and ranked second in both 2012 (63) and 2013 (47).
• In addition, Coastal ranks second in the country with 134 total points, fifth with 42 assists and eighth in points per game at a 6.38 clip.
BIG SOUTH TOURNAMENT TITLE NO. 12
• The Chanticleers claimed the programs second straight Big South tournament on Sunday. The title is the program's 12th since the 1986 season.
• Second-seeded Coastal defeated top-seeded Radford 1-0 in the Championship match.
• The Chanticleers' 12 tournament championships are the most in Big South history. Winthrop is second in league history with four tournament titles.
• Coastal Carolina holds the Big South record with 11 tournament championships.
• The Chanticleers claimed the tournament championship in 1986, 1987, 1989, 1990, 1995, 2001, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2010, 2013 and 2014.
• Coastal is 44-12-4 all-time in the Big South postseason.
WHEN IT'S GOOD TO BE BAD
• The Chanticleers rank 191st of 200 NCAA teams in saves per game. While the ranking is Coastal's lowest in any category, it is actually a good thing. Coastal goalkeepers having to make 2.52 saves per game directly translates to the Chanticleer backline and defensive midfielders holding opponents without shots on goal. Overall, seven of the nation's bottom 10 teams in saves per game advanced to the NCAA Tournament.
