After earning a bid in the NCAA Men’s Soccer Tournament, South Carolina is slated to host Furman in the first round Thursday evening. While the Gamecocks narrowly missed earning a bye in the opening round, they will have home-field advantage in this in-state matchup. South Carolina boasts a record of 11-7-1, while Furman sits at 8-5-5. The Paladins are riding a hot streak however, as they were recently crowned champions of the 2015 Southern Conference Tournament.
Getting to this point was not a clear path for the playoff-bound Gamecocks. They won just two of their first five season matches and were outscored by opponents by a 14 to 9 margin over that stretch. However, the team began to discover their identity and embraced an athletic, energetic style of play that enabled them to catch fire in the middle of the season.
Junior midfielder Danny Deakin will lead the offensive charge for South Carolina. The England native dominates the stats sheet, leading the team with 10 goals and 22 points.
Sophomore goalkeeper William Pyle, who earned Southern Conference All-Freshman honors at UNC-Greensboro last season, finished the year with a .818 save percentage and a 9-5 record. He also has four shutouts, including one against No. 11 Coastal Carolina earlier this month.
The Gamecocks will face a serious threat with Furman. The Paladins are a team that is firing on all cylinders after making quick work of Eastern Tennessee State University and Mercer in the Southern Conference tournament. Senior goalkeeper Sven Lissek let in no goals during both matches, so do not expect this to be a high-scoring game.
Furman’s brand of soccer revolves around their steady, relentless defense, but junior forward Lewis Hawke does serve as an offensive weapon for them. His most important goal of the season came on a header during a 1-0 victory against ETSU in the tournament championship.
Thursday’s contest will begin at 7 p.m. at Stone Stadium. The winner will advance to the second round to take on No. 15 UC Santa Barbara.