USC looks to post fourth straight shutout over Tigers
South Carolina has had no shortage of success against Clemson in recent seasons, shutting out its in-state rival in each of the last four matchups.
It will look to continue that success Friday when it travels to face the Tigers at historic Riggs Field.
The Gamecocks enter tonight’s matchup still recovering from a 3-2 defeat in last weekend’s season opener against College of Charleston. Despite falling short of a victory, however, coach Mark Berson was pleased with the team’s play offensively. The Gamecocks outshot the Cougars 21-17 over the course of the night with forward Bradlee Baladez and midfielder Braeden Troyer posting goals. Berson said the defense, however, will need an improved performance if USC is to play well tonight in their road trip to Clemson.
“We had plenty of good chances to put the game away but we had some lapses defensively,” Berson said.“The goals we gave up were uncharacteristic of USC.”
The match at Charleston marked the first collegeiate start for sophomore goalkeeper Alex Long. Playing all 90 minutes, Long managed to make four saves, but allowed all three goals. Long was one of several newcomers getting their first taste of extended minutes in a regular season game, and Berson hopes the group will continue to make improvements over the coming weeks.
“We have a much younger team,” Berson said. “But they have played well. Regardless of the outcome of the game, we will keep improving and getting better”.
While also providing another chance to assess his young players, Berson will also use the group’s performance against Clemson to determine what changes may need to be made for next week’s home opener against Charlotte. Other freshmen who will likely see playing time are forwards Snoopy Davidson and Asa Kryst. Davidson, who earned a starting spot against Charleston, played 67 minutes in the opener and posted a shot in the process. Kryst saw 61 minutes of the bench and contributed with three shots.
In preparing to face the Tigers, however, the Gamecocks main focus will be to correct their defensive issues that hindered them against the Cougars, believing a strong effort will be needed to keep the shutout streak alive.“The keys in a big game are execution and limiting the number of scoring chances they get,” Berson said. “If we can do those things, then we will be fine against not only Clemson, but against everyone we play.”