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Mark Berson Is Kicking Off His 41st Season At USC

Mark Berson is looking for his 501st career win and his focus is on that, not the previous 500.

It may have been an exhibition match but USC head soccer coach Mark Berson approached the contest with 10th-ranked Duke as if it was a regular season showdown.

No doubt Berson will be breaking down the video from the 1-1 draw as he gets his team ready for Saturday's season opener at home against Gardner-Webb.

Berson has been getting teams ready for season openers for 42 years on the college level, the last 41 at USC. He's the only head coach in the history of the USC program and he is sitting on 489 wins, 500 overall with the other 11 victories coming in 1977 at The Citadel,

But it was in 1978 when Berson was hired by Jim Carlen to build the USC program from the ground up. Since then, the program has evolved. From playing at The Graveyard to Stone Stadium and now with the new Gamecock Soccer Complex serving both men's and women's programs, Berson has seen tremendous investments in USC soccer. But his passion for coaching has not changed in his 41 years in Columbia.

"Every year is a wonderful challenge," Berson said.

"It's a lot of excitement, a lot of fun and we look forward to it. Every year is different. You would think 'well, it must be repetitive'. It's not repetitive. It's a brand new year. It's a brand new group. It's a brand new season and it's a brand new opportunity."

The next opportunity is Saturday night in the season opener against Gardner-Webb.

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