The South Carolina men’s soccer team (6-3-1) defeated the Queens Royals (4-3) 1-0 on Tuesday night at Stone Stadium.
“I’m actually really proud,” head coach Tony Annan said. “They were a very good team that came to defend their half and did it really well, and they were very well organized. So to break their block, which a few teams have not been able to do, I’m pretty happy with that.”
The Gamecocks put early pressure on the Royals' defense, with senior midfielder Ethan Ballek having a free kick blocked in the fourth minute. Sophomore forward Loïc Sany Kong also had a chance in the twenty-first minute, with his effort being saved by Royals sophomore goalkeeper Matheus Rhormens.
South Carolina continued to dominate the game, with Queens having little possession and only three shots by the end of the first half. The Gamecocks, however, struggled to break down the Royals' defense, limited mostly to shots from range.
Senior Midfielder Samy Kolby had the Gamecocks' best chance in the first 45 minutes with his shot off a give-and-go, forcing another save from Rhormens.
The Royals grew into the game in the second half, and the match became much more open.
South Carolina survived a penalty scare after a shot from Queens sophomore midfielder Leontios Zacharia was initially deemed to hit the arm of senior defender William Nilsson. The call was overturned after review.
South Carolina hit the Royals' crossbar twice in the second half. Ballek’s effort from just outside the box hit the woodwork in the 58th minute, while senior defender Andrew Goldworthy’s header struck the bar in the 68th.
The Gamecocks' breakthrough came in the 77th minute when sophomore midfielder Alejandro Velazquez-Lopez drove a shot into the bottom right corner of the Royals’ net.
“It just takes time sometimes and patience," Annan said. "That was the message at halftime … Overall, I wasn’t concerned that we wouldn’t win the game."
South Carolina was able to close out the game, with Queens freshman defender Michael Tzimoulis’ blocked shot in the 86th minute as the only opportunity for Queens after the goal.
Gamecocks hold onto lead and avoid upset
Queens came into this game off the back of an upset 1-0 victory at No. 14 Clemson. The Gamecocks avoided the same fate as its in-state rivals and were able to record their fourth straight victory over the Royals.
In its last outing, a 2-2 tie against the Georgia State Panthers, South Carolina was ahead twice but gave up a goal soon after scoring both times. On Tuesday night, the Gamecocks were able to hold onto the lead without much trouble to secure the win.
Gamecocks go direct to find a goal
After holding the ball in the Royals' half for much of the first half, South Carolina opened up its play in search of a winning goal.
“I think we played a lot of balls in behind them, which pushed their back line and separated them from their midfield a little bit, so then we played in between," Annan said. "So, I think our variation of the way we played really broke them down.”
What’s next?
South Carolina (6-3-1) will return to conference play with a road game against James Madison (1-5-1) on Sept. 28. The game will kickoff at 7 p.m. and will be broadcast on ESPN+.