Summer is, sadly, drawing to a close. If your team plays in the Division IV level of the soccer pyramid, your season has finished. Like your old summer camp crush, you are destined to yearn after your love all throughout the fall, winter and spring as you wait for next year.

BUT FEAR NOT!

There is another waiting to win your affection and hold you interest for the next several months.

Ladies and gentlemen, let me introduce you to collegiate soccer.

If you have never watched the college game you are missing out on a joy unlike any other in the American sports landscape. Allow me to give you, the Greenville soccer fan, six reasons to support and follow the sport at Clemson and Furman this season.

[Editor’s note: Chris’ reasons are Greenville-specific, but many — if not all of them — apply to cities and towns throughout the Carolinas where quality college soccer can be found.]

1. School pride

If you follow any college sports, you know the feeling of cheering on your alma mater. Cheering on my college team during my undergrad years (quick shoutout to Carson-Newman — go Eagles!) was when I really developed my love for the game. College players are passionate and play hard no matter what.

Even if you are like myself and many miles from your school, you can still cheer on these local teams for the love of the sport.

2. Incredibly affordable

I paid $105 for seven home games and a scarf during Greenville FC’s inaugural season this summer. I can without a doubt say I got my money’s worth out of that investment. There is no way I could get a better deal than that to enjoy the game I love so much, right?

Well, I could buy season tickets for the Clemson men’s team for $40 (nine home games). (Prices for the Tiger women are not available right now.) Or I could consider Furman, where I can get a combined men’s and women’s season ticket package (18 total games) and a scarf for only $30.

So, for the price of seven Greenville FC matches, I could theoretically take in 38 games between four different programs in the area.

3. Incredible venues

Fans of Greenville FC already know the glory of Eugene Stone Stadium, home of the Furman Paladins. Clemson plays at historic Riggs Field and it is just as great an experience.

4. Familiar faces and future stars

Furman and Clemson have both produced many men’s and women’s professional soccer players. The most notable names include Stu Holden, Joe Bendik, Oguchi Onyewu and Tommy McNamara from Clemson, and Walker Zimmerman and Clint Dempsey from Furman.

Greenville FC fans will also find familiar faces on each college’s men’s team. Clemson is home to Quinn McNeill while Furman is home to Dalton Souder, Laurence Wyke and Danny Kierath.

5. Winning history

Who does not like to win? The best thing about the college programs in our area is that they are incredibly strong and have been especially impressive over the past five years.

Furman has had quite the run in the Southern Conference. The women won the conference tournament twice and made it to the semifinals three times since 2013. Their overall record in that five-year stretch is 73–21–8.

The men have won two conference championships in the last five years, gone to the semis twice and were knocked out in the quarterfinals in 2016. Their overall record over five years is 49–29–19. The women made it to the second round of the NCAA tournament twice in that five-year span while the men made it to the the second round once and were knocked out in the first round once.

Clemson has also been tremendously successful over the last half-decade. The women’s team made it to the semifinals of the ACC tournament twice and made four NCAA appearances, going out in the first round once, the second round twice and the round of 16 once. Their overall record over the last five years is 58–25–16.

The men of Clemson have made it to the semifinals of the conference tournament three times in five years. They have been runners-up once and were champions in 2014. They have been to the NCAA tournament every year in the last half decade. They made it to the first round once, the second round once, the round of 16 once, the quarterfinals once and they were runners-up in the national championship game in 2015.

6. We have you covered

If none of those things convinced you to follow local college soccer this fall and you need one more thing to tip you over the edge, we have you covered. I’ll be keeping tabs on the Tigers and Paladins this fall here at Soccer ‘n’ Sweet Tea (follow us on Twitter and Facebook and make sure you’re signed up for the newsletter) and I will be covering them with some regularity on my podcast, Yeah, THAT Soccer Show, as well.

So give it a chance. You will not be disappointed.