On a cold, rain-soaked night in Stone Stadium, the South Carolina men’s soccer team shined, defeating conference foe Florida International 2-0. The win moved the Gamecocks to the top of the Conference USA table, putting them higher than Kentucky and UNC Charlotte, both of whom defeated South Carolina during the team’s recent three-game skid.
Junior midfielder Danny Deakin opened the scoring for the Gamecocks in the 38th minute, when his penalty kick ricocheted off the post and the keeper before going into the back of the net. The goal was Deakin’s team-leading ninth of the season, giving South Carolina a 1-0 halftime advantage.
Despite the advantage on the scoreboard, FIU outplayed the home team in the first half, holding a 10-4 advantage in the shot count. The Golden Panthers created many opportunities early, but sophomore goalkeeper William Pyle came up with 4 of his 6 saves in the first half.
“We closed them up a little more man-to-man [in the second half] and had a little tighter responsibilities, and that was really what we had intended to do in the first half, but we didn’t do a very good job,” head coach Mark Berson said when asked about his halftime adjustments.
The shutout was just the third for the Gamecocks this season. The clean sheet is even more impressive, considering the Panthers came into the game boasting the nation’s top scoring offense — averaging 2.54 goals per match.
The Gamecock defense limited the Panthers to just four shots in the second half, three of which came in the final eight minutes, after Kevin Walker scored on a counterattack to put South Carolina up 2-0. This game marked just the third time FIU has been shut out this season, and the Panthers had scored seven goals cumulatively in their previous three games prior to entering Stone Stadium.
South Carolina was able to lengthen two impressive streaks with the win over the Panthers. First, the Gamecocks remained undefeated at home with a 6-0-1 record. With just two home games remaining, the team has a chance to earn its first undefeated home record since 1993. Also, the Gamecocks improved to 13-0-4 all-time against FIU, now having won four of the last six meetings.
The Gamecocks are desperately trying to boost their resume for NCAA tournament consideration, and the team has a great chance to do so with upcoming home games against Old Dominion and Coastal Carolina to close out the regular season.
Both the Monarchs and the Chanticleers are ranked in the top 20 in RPI in the nation, and South Carolina could use two more quality wins. The tall task begins Saturday night in Stone Stadium, as the Gamecocks close out Conference USA play against Old Dominion.