The South Carolina men’s soccer team (4-2) closed out its four-game home stand with a dominant 5-1 win over Winthrop on Tuesday night, marking the team's third straight win.
The Gamecocks looked to score early with a solid look from sophomore midfielder Alejandro Velazquez-Lopez but missed out right. Less than a minute later, senior midfielder Ethan Ballek gave the Gamecocks its first lead of the night with a goal, assisted by senior forward Tyler Trimnal.
The Gamecocks quickly added to its lead with a goal from Trimnal in the 10th minute, assisted by Ballek.
Just before the half, Ballek scored his fourth goal of the season in the 43rd minute. A shot by freshman defender Dragen Vrataric threatened the Gamecocks lead in the 48th minute but hit the top of the goalpost.
The game was back and forth the second half until freshman forward Matthew DeJianne punched his first colligate goal in the 68th minute, pushing the Gamecocks to a 4-0 lead.
“It feels really good," DeJianne said. "I’ve been grinding all through preseason, all the beginning of season, waiting for my moment, and finally got the chance tonight and happy to be able to do it."
The Eagles finally found the back of the net in the 75th minute with a goal by Vrataric to avoid the shutout.
DeJianne continued his scoring with his second goal of the season in the 78th minute, assisted by senior midfielder Samy Kolby and sophomore midfielder Kieran Karp.
“He’s honest. He never gives half an effort, he gives a full effort all the time," head coach Tony Annan said. "I get a good, honest player who will never not give 100%."
The Gamecocks was able to hold Winthrop to one goal for the 5-1 win.
Offense comes out hot
South Carolina’s offensive efforts shined in the first half of the matchup with 13 total shots. The Gamecocks was able to take a 2-0 lead within the first 15 minutes of the contest while shutting down the Eagles’ opportunities to come back.
Last season, South Carolina had 36 total goals with only 14 of them being in conference play. Despite the team’s dominant win, Annan was not entirely pleased with the efforts.
“I was disappointed with the standards that we held. It’s always hard when you score a few goals very early in the game to keep the standards that you want," Annan said. "It’s a good win, it’s another win in the win column, but as far as our standards and how we want to play, that was probably below what we want to see every week."
Defense limit opponent once again
The 5-1 win showcased the defense's improvement in the 2025 season. The Eagles had no shots in the first half down 3-0.
In his second year with the Gamecock’s, sophomore goalkeeper Filip Versterre has continued to help the team’s chances. Last season, Versterre played every minute of all 17 of the Gamecock’s matches last season finishing with 57 saves and a 0.750 save percentage in 2024.
Sophomore goalkeeper Nash Skoglund also made his first career appearance in the 79th minute, possibly hinting at more depth in the position going forward.
Ballek and Trimnal continue their dominance
Ballek’s and Trimnal’s four and three goals, respectively, lead the team so far this season. With his two goals, Ballek has scored a brace in two games.
Trimnal, recently named Sun Belt Conference Offensive Player of the Week, said he was happy with the win, but would like to continue to improve as a team and play more consistently.
"Obviously getting to win 5-1 is pretty comfortable, but for us, we try to play every game with the same amount of standards and we didn't hit a few of those tonight," Trimnal said.
The Gamecocks has yet to be shut out this season and will need to continue to find ways to score as they head into Sun Belt Conference play next week.
What's next?
South Carolina (4-2) will travel to Greensboro, North Carolina, to take on UNC Greensboro (4-0-1) on Friday, Sept. 13. The game is slated for 7 p.m. and will be broadcast on ESPN+.