South Carolina's No. 17 men’s soccer faced off with No. 15 Kentucky to see who would remain unbeaten in Conference USA.
The Wildcats entered the game strong, with Jordan Wilson heading in a free kick from Kristoffer Tollefsen during the 31st minute. This goal would end up being the only scoring play of the game, as Kentucky took the game 1-0 and remains undefeated in conference play 4-0-0.
The Gamecocks had some early chances to score with four shots on goal during the first half, but Wildcats goalkeeper Callum Irving continued to make good save after save. South Carolina did have more corner kicks than Kentucky, however, with 5-2.
Redshirt senior Asa Kryst, junior Danny Deakin and freshman Torgeir Nyboe led the Gamecocks’ offensive chances with two shots each.
South Carolina defense kept them in the game, limiting Kentucky to two shots on goal, while their defensive players made five blocks to keep the Wildcats from scoring.
This is the second game in the Gamecocks’ three-game road trip. They faced No. 23 NC State on Oct. 13. After a scoreless first, senior Jeffrey Torda scored just two minutes into the second half to give the Gamecocks a 1-0 lead, but the Wolfpack answered with two late goals to take the match 2-1.
Before this loss, the Gamecocks recently faced conference opponents Marshall and Florida Atlantic, winning both of those matches. At Marshall, Kevin Walker scored early in the match, allowing the Gamecocks to jump into an early lead. South Carolina’s defense held Marshall to only one goal, as freshman Bjorn Gudjonsson netted one with six minutes left to give the Gamecocks the win. A week later, the Gamecocks were back at Stone Stadium to face Florida Atlantic. Deakin provided the only two goals for South Carolina and led them to a 2-1 victory.
The Gamecocks also fell to a tough Wake Forest team on Oct. 6. South Carolina and Wake Forest, No 6. at the time of play, each had seven shots on goal during the game, but Wake Forest made theirs count. After a scoreless first, Wake Forest scored two in the second half, which proved to be enough to take the match.
After Sunday’s loss against Kentucky, Deakin still leads the Gamecocks in points with 18. He also leads the team in goals with eight, and has recorded two assists so far. Torda and Walker are also having a strong first half of the season, with nine and eight points, respectively, and four goals each.
The Gamecocks (7-5-1, 4-1-0) will round out their road play this season on Friday to face UNC Charlotte.
South Carolina will then host for their final regular season games facing Florida International University on Oct. 27, Old Dominion on Oct. 31 and Coastal Carolina on Nov. 7. The FIU and Old Dominion match ups will be the final conference games of the regular season. The Gamecocks will then prepare for the postseason with the Conference USA Tournament starting on Nov. 11.