South Carolina men’s soccer was able to come up with a big 3-0 win over the 18th-seeded Furman Paladins Tuesday night, continuing their hot streak and pushing their win streak up to four games.
For much of the first part of this game, both teams had good chances, but neither were able to put the ball into the back of the net. In the eighth minute, South Carolina goalkeeper William Pyle was forced to fully extend his body to save a Furman shot from going into the top corner of the net — a save that kept the score knotted at zero.
The Gamecocks then had a golden opportunity of their own to swing momentum their way when Kevin Walker, the team's leading scorer, was able to get a shot off from about 12 yards out, only to have it deflect off the goal post.
Finally, after 32 minutes without a score, the Gamecocks would break the deadlock on a goal by Kurtis Turner. The goal would be Turner’s first of the season and was assisted on by Luca Mayr.
Still, at halftime the score was just 1-0, with the game still feeling as if either team could win. Furman had seven shots with two on-goal, while South Carolina had only one more of each.
This competitive play would continue for much of the second half, as both teams continued to have quality attempts at goal. This back-and-forth play would endure until the 82nd minute, when Danny Deakin was able to capitalize on a Furman handball inside the box and score on the ensuing penalty kick, putting the Gamecocks up 2-0 and essentially putting the game out of reach.
Kevin Walker would score another goal in the 90th minute, making up for his earlier miss off the goal post and raising his team's leading goal total to four on the season. This goal was the final one for the night and put the Gamecocks up 3-0.
South Carolina returns home Saturday to take on Georgia State. Furman looks to recover from this loss against VMI on Saturday.