The South Carolina men’s soccer team defeated the Charlotte 49ers 2-1 at Eugene E. Stone III Stadium on Friday night to improve its record to 3-2 on the season.
“The guys did a massive job,” head coach Tony Annan said. “I’m so proud of them, they worked, they didn’t play particularly well at times, but they showed massive spirit and worked great.”
In the seventh minute, senior midfielder Ethan Ballek got a good strike towards the bottom right corner to try and get the Gamecocks on the board first, but the shot was saved by Charlotte.
Just 12 minutes later, Ballek would try his luck at a long shot from just outside the penalty box that was once again dealt with by the 49er defense.
In the 36th minute, the Gamecocks was able to connect on a long through pass to freshman forward Matthew DeJianne . DeJianne’s shot was ultimately saved by senior goalkeeper Leonard Stritter.
With neither team connecting on any shot, the score remained 0-0 after 45 minutes. Both teams combined for just eight shots in the first half.
South Carolina scored its first goal in the 58th minute after sophomore midfielder Alejandro Velazquez-Lopez hit a free kick to sophomore defender Yvan Malarte , who headed the ball into the bottom left corner.
In the 61st minute, Velazquez-Lopez delivered a strike to the bottom right corner for the second goal of the game for South Carolina, after a 49er defender failed to deflect a pass from Malarte, who was credited for the assist.
“I knew it was my time, I’d been wanting this chance for a long time,” Velazquez-Lopez said. “It's been hard for me, the beginning of the season, without my parents and their help and telling me not to quit and just keep going.”
The Gamecocks spent much of the remaining second half defending against Charlotte's offense. The 49ers had 18 shots in the half, compared to just the two from South Carolina.
The 49ers ended up getting its first goal of the game in the 86th minute after senior forward Denis Krioutchenkov broke free behind the defense to find the bottom left corner of the net.
Charlotte took two shots in the game's final minutes, but both were successfully saved by sophomore goalkeeper Filip Versterre.
Defense plays strong
Heading into the game tonight, the Gamecocks had given up a goal in the first half to each of its last three opponents.
With Charlotte's offensive pressure building up in the second half as it searched for a goal, Versterre was called upon to continue to make saves as the game closed. He finished the game with seven saves.
“He did a really great game,” Malarte said. “Filip did an amazing training week, and an amazing game here right now, so we are so proud of him.”
Second half adjustments
The last two games for the Gamecocks have featured a tale of two halves. Much like in the contest on Tuesday against FIU , South Carolina was shut out in the first half and then scored all of its goals in the second.
Annan said following the games that it was important that South Carolina took advantage of the chances it was given, and that his team was not quite as quick as he would have liked.
“We were playing too slowly in the first half, but I thought we built quite well. ” Annan said. “If you get one chance, you have to take it; if you get two chances, you have to try to take two. If you don’t take a chance, then you don't win games.”
Scoring by committee
South Carolina has had seven players score a goal with the season just five games underway . Last year's team ended the season with 12 players scoring a goal.
The Gamecocks also doesn’t have a single player who has scored over two goals, with Ballek, senior forward Tyler Trimnal and junior midfielder Mika Habel all having two on the year.
What’s next?
South Carolina will host the Winthrop Eagles inside Stone Stadium on Tuesday, Sept. 9. The game will kick off at 7 p.m. and will be broadcast on ESPN+.