Gamecocks top 49ers for first win of 2011
For senior Vance Benson, 2010 did not go as he had expected, ending in game two at the hands of a broken leg. But against Charlotte on Tuesday night, Benson got a glimpse of what last season could have been like.
After the 49ers managed to tie the game with less than 15 minutes remaining in the first half, Benson scored his first goal as a Gamecock, breaking the tie and lifting USC to a 2-1 win.
“It’s been a long, long road back,” Benson said. “It’s been a lot of hard work and I never thought about, ‘Oh, I’m going to score this amount of goals this year.’ But that first goal just kind of gives me some confidence and gives me something to build on. More than anything, I’m just happy I helped out the team.”
The Gamecocks, who have struggled in the first half so far this season, got off to a hot start as senior Stephen Morrissey scored in the fourth minute from the right side after Benson headed down Mike Mangotic’s long throw-in.
Charlotte answered back with a goal in the 31st minute, but USC didn’t let the momentum slip away as Benson scored from 12 yards out just 26 seconds after the 49ers.
“After they scored, we always talk about how we want to quickly answer; try to get another goal and put pressure on them,” Benson said. “It was just a long ball, and the ball was kind of in front of the box and got a little bit of a scramble. It rolled into the box past Stephen Morrissey, who shielded the guy off. I honestly thought it was a foul, but I kept running and shot it. The keeper was kind of out so I just put it in the air to his left side. I turned around and it was a goal.”
The Gamecocks took the lead into halftime despite Charlotte having the advantage in shots and corner kicks, but the 49ers came out aggressive at the start of the second period, earning five straight corner kicks in the first 10 minutes of play.
USC was able to hold off Charlotte’s attack, however, with goalkeeper Alex Long tallying three saves in the second period alone.
“It’s experience,” coach Mark Berson said of Long’s play through three games. “I think he’s learning. He’s studying film. He’s reading situations. Being a goalkeeper at this level is a lot like being the quarterback. He’s got to look at film. He’s got to look at situations. He’s got to be in situations and make right decisions and wrong decisions and learn from them, and he’s doing that.”
The win is the Carolina’s first of the season, having fallen twice on the road at College of Charleston and Clemson.
“We have a very, very difficult schedule and this is the first time we’ve been at home,” Berson said. “We’ve been in probably two of the tougher environments in the state and two of the toughest environments on our schedule as the very first two games. I think the guys showed just a little bit of that experience tonight.”
For Benson, the win was about more than just getting the first check in the win column.
“The last two games, the losses have been really hard,” Benson said. “We came out of those games feeling like we should have won. We kind of had a chip on our shoulder; a little bit of something to prove. We can actually compete. We’re not just going to let teams beat us. You know you got to win games so tonight it was a battle and we’re just happy to come out on top.”