MORGANTOWN, W.Va. – The West Virginia University men's soccer team returns home to take on Sun Belt Conference foe South Carolina on Saturday, Oct. 1. Kickoff at Dick Dlesk Soccer Stadium is set for 4 p.m. ET.
 
Of note, the match was originally scheduled to begin at 7 p.m., but was moved up to earlier in the day.
 
Saturday is a Gold Rush, with all fans encouraged to wear gold. The first 250 fans will receive a WVU rally towel upon entrance and children in eighth grade and under will have an opportunity to participate in post-match penalty kicks on the field.
 
Fans can purchase tickets in advance by visiting WVUGAME.com or calling 1-800-WVU-GAME. When purchasing online, tickets are $5 each and $3 for groups of 10 or more. All tickets are general admission.
 
At the stadium ticket window, which opens at 3 p.m., on Saturday, tickets are $7 for adults, $5 for youth and seniors and $3 for groups. The discounted online pricing will be available until kickoff.
 
WVU students are admitted free with a valid WVU Student ID.
 
Fans who are unable to attend the match can follow along with live stats at WVUsports.com. The match also can be seen live on ESPN+, with Nick Farrell and Liam Belan on the call, as well as heard on 91.7 FM in Morgantown.
 
Saturday marks just the second-ever meeting between the Mountaineers (2-6-1, 0-1-1 Sun Belt) and Gamecocks (5-3-1, 1-0 Sun Belt), including the first in 40 years. In the two schools' only prior meeting, South Carolina earned a 2-1 win on Sept. 5, 1982, in Columbia, South Carolina.
 
Last time out, WVU capped a three-match road trip with a 2-1 loss at No. 19 Dayton on Sept. 27. The Flyers scored two goals in a 31-second span in the 14th and 15th minutes to take an early lead, before West Virginia closed the gap in the 82nd with senor forward Joseph Biafora's first career goal. However, West Virginia was unable to find the late equalizer in the squad's third consecutive road match against a ranked opponent.
 
Biafora's goal was the first by a Morgantown native for the Mountaineers since Mike Myers on Oct. 14, 2000, against Radford.
 
WVU is 115-43-23 at Dick Dlesk Soccer Stadium since the facility opened in 2004, including 2-1-1 this season. The Mountaineers are unbeaten in 16 of its last 17 home matches, dating back to March 24, 2021.
 
Senior midfielder Luke McCormick and junior midfielder Ryan Crooks continue to co-lead West Virginia in goals, with two, while Crooks has a team-best four assists. Junior goalkeeper Jackson Lee has made 17 saves in nine starts this fall, including a career-high six against Dayton.
 
Third-year coach Dan Stratford enters Saturday's match with a 20-12-8 mark with the Mountaineers. In all, he is 81-16-13 in his head-coaching career.
 
South Carolina is led by second-year coach Tony Annan, who is 10-12-3 with the club. The Gamecocks are coming off a 1-0 win over Georgia Southern on Sept. 24, at home. In all, the squad enters Saturday's fixture on a three-match win streak.
 
Adam Luckhurst leads South Carolina in nearly all offensive categories, including goals (3), assists (3), points (9), shots (20) and shots on goal (9). In goal, Ben Alexander has 32 saves, good for No. 2 in the Sun Belt.
 
For more information on the Mountaineers, follow @WVUMensSoccer on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.