USC wins rematch of last fall's conference title game
Tulsa came to Columbia on Friday night with a cloud hanging over its head.
Last season the USC men's soccer team had its way with the Golden Hurricane, beating it twice, including in the championship game of the 2010 Conference USA Tournament.
A change in seasons didn't do much for Tulsa, as South Carolina pulled off a thrilling come-from-behind 2-1 victory to remain undefeated in conference play.
"I couldn't be more proud about the way we executed the way we wanted to tonight," said coach Mark Berson. "Once again this team came from behind, and that's a great quality to have."
Injury concerns highlighted the pregame for USC as sophomore midfielder Chipper Root, who scored the game-winning goal against Memphis earlier this season, was out with an ankle sprain. That didn't stop the Gamecocks from being aggressive offensively right out of the gates.
South Carolina came out doubling Tulsa's offensive production in the first half, outshooting them eight shots to four, also having four corner kicks to two. Adding to the offensive production, South Carolina showed excellent ball control in the first half as well as dominating ball possession for most of the half.
"We really worked on this week stepping up with pressure to the ball," Berson said. "We've been working on getting pressure to the ball quicker, and we've been keeping the ball a little bit better, and all of those things seemed to fall into place tonight."
After 42 minutes of missed shots, multiple corner kicks and four yellow cards, Tulsa was the first team to strike. In the 39th minute Tulsa freshman midfielder Tony Rocha delivered a strike from 15 yards out on the near post. The goal hushed crowd at Stone Stadium as the Golden Hurricanes were now up one to nothing.
However, the silence was short lived. As if right on cue, sophomore midfielder J.P. Rafferty showed to be the spark off the bench by hooking a 21-yard chip over Tulsa sophomore keeper Michael Murray to tie up the match at 1.
"To come out and make a difference always feels good for us," Rafferty said. "It was the second goal of the season, and to come out and give the team a lift is always good."
After halftime Tulsa came out and attacked Carolina on the offensive end. However, by being so aggressive, Tulsa would seal its fate. In the 53rd minute off a Bradlee Baladez corner kick, the Golden Hurricane suffered an own goal, giving USC its game-winning score.
From that point on Tulsa kept on the aggressive attack while Carolina just tried to hang onto its slim lead. It all came down to one final play with 16 seconds remaining. Rocha lined up for a free kick off a Carolina foul to try to tie up the match on one last play. Rocha shot and missed wide left.
"Tonight the group fought hard against a good Tulsa team," Berson said. "To come from behind again, to beat Tulsa again, is a big confidence builder. You have to give Tulsa credit because they are a very good team. This is definitely something we want to build on."