South Carolina men’s soccer team lost to North Florida 2-0 on Tuesday evening. Over the weekend, the Gamecocks took down then ranked No. 11 UNCG 2-1 on the road, making it the team's first ranked win since November 2023.
“Wasn’t good enough,” head coach Tony Annan said. “First half, again, slow start. We only had a couple of days’ recovery, and it showed a lot. But this is college soccer, and it’s hard, and we’ve got to do a better job of recovering and getting on to the next game.”
Both teams were aggressive right out of the gate, with 13 fouls in the first half. Senior midfielder Alexander Stjernegaard had the first shot of the match in the fourth minute to start the Gamecocks' offensive attacks.
The Ospreys struck first in the 25th minute with sophomore forward Kaiss Mansouri's goal. Despite the six shots taken by South Carolina in the first half, the score remained 1-0 after the first 45 minutes.
The second half opened with a yellow card on fifth-year defender Galen Flynn in the 49th minute. Senior midfielder Ethan Ballek looked to find the equalizer in both the 52nd and 60th minute but could not find the back of the net.
Another missed shot by Ballek in the 62nd minute gave the Gamecocks an opportunity to score with a corner kick. Despite the kick, the Gamecocks were unable to produce a response.
The Ospreys doubled its lead in the 68th minute with a goal from redshirt senior forward Luc Granitur. South Carolina led North Florida in shots 15-7 but still fell 2-0. There were a combined 27 fouls between both teams.
“At the end of the day, (soccer is) a physical game and we’ve got to be prepared for that,” Annan said. “If people are turning it into a fight, then we’ve got to be prepared to fight.”
Gamecocks shut out for first time this season
The Gamecocks' offense has been a major factor in their wins, with multiple players tallying goals over the last few games. South Carolina currently ranks No. 7 nationally in total goals with 17.
"Second half, we made some changes, tweaked the system,” Annan said. “It was a lot better. We created some chances, I mean, some very good chances actually. But again, didn’t finish our chances, so we don’t win games.”
Tonight’s 2-0 shutout marks the first shutout loss for the Gamecocks in the 2025 season. The Gamecocks were shut out four times last season.
Four-game winning streak ends
The Gamecocks saw its four-game winning streak end with the 2-0 loss to North Florida. The program’s longest win streak was all the way back in 2016 where it won seven straight games.
Gamecocks sweep Sun Belt weekly honors
Despite the loss, for the second straight week, two Gamecocks have earned both weekly awards in the Sun Belt Conference.
Ballek and senior defender William Nilsson both earned Sun Belt Conference honors, respectively.
Ballek earned Offensive Player of the Week honors after finishing the week with three goals and two assists. Ballek currently leads the team with five goals and ranks No.12 nationally for most goals.
Nilsson was named Defensive Player of the Week after an impressive game against the top-15 ranked UNCG. He helped the Gamecocks' defense limit the Spartans and earn the ranked win on the road.
What’s Next?
South Carolina (5-3) will host Georgia State (2-2-2) on Sept. 19. The game is scheduled to start at 7 p.m. and will be streamed on ESPN+.