The South Carolina men’s soccer team opened up conference play with a 2-2 tie against the Georgia State Panthers on Friday night at Stone Stadium.
Junior midfielder Sandro Rabarivony of Georgia State had a couples chances to score early in the game, forcing a save in the seventh minute and firing wide in the 17th.
Senior midfielder Ethan Ballek and junior forward Keanan Bader both took shots for South Carolina, but neither of them scored.
In the 35th minute, senior goalkeeper Loan Marin stopped sophomore midfielder Alejandro Velazquez-Lopez from scoring, but just five minutes later In the 40th minute, Velazquez-Lopez scored with help from junior midfielder Mika Habel, giving South Carolina a 1–0 lead.
Just one minute later, Georgia State senior forward Matthew Taylor scored after a pass from freshman midfielder Brandon Graham set him up to tie the game at 1-1.
Georgia State attacked quickly to open the second half when Taylor forced a save in the 52nd minute. The Panthers then followed it up with multiple corner kicks.
South Carolina answered with pressure of its own, and in the 55th minute, Bader finished off the attack to give South Carolina a 2–1 lead off a deflection from a Georgia State defender.
Similar to the first half, South Carolina's lead didn't last very long, as in the 65th minute, Rabarivony's goal evened the score, making it 2–2.
Both teams pushed forward, but South Carolina sophomore goalkeeper Filip Versterre and Marin played a big role, as they has a combined eight saves to keep the score even.
South Carolina applied some late-game pressure with Ballek and sophomore forward Loïc Sany Kong, testing Marin, but he came up big with multiple saves, including one in the final minute of the game.
Neither team was able to find a deciding goal in the games final minutes, and the game ended in a 2-2 draw.
Response after goals
Every time South Carolina managed to take the lead, Georgia State answered almost immediately.
The Gamecocks scored late in the first half and then early again in the second, but Georgia State responded within one minute of the first goal and 10 minutes after the second.
This quick response kept momentum from swinging too far in either team's favor and kept the match close the whole time.
Gamecocks' offensive pressure
South Carolina stayed aggressive, outshooting Georgia State across both halves. Ballek was especially active, recording nine shots, while Bader and Velazquez-Lopez both scored.
Although the Gamecocks didn't find the game winning goal, its ability to create chances was a significant aspect of the match, keeping Georgia State under pressure, putting up 21 shots on the Panther defense.
Physical play and discipline
The match was marked by heavy fouling and rising tension as both teams tried to gain control of the score.
Georgia State committed 14 fouls, and South Carolina committed nine, with three yellow cards issued late in the game.
What’s next?
South Carolina will host Queens University of Charlotte at home on Sept. 23. The game is scheduled to start at 7 p.m. and will be broadcast on ESPN+.