After South Carolina men's soccer team finished with a 1-6-2 record in the Sun Belt conference, the team failed to qualify for the postseason tournament, ending its season.The Gamecocks ranked ninth in the conference out of ten teams, falling short of qualifying for the conference’s eight-team postseason tournament.
Since joining the Sun Belt conference in the 2022 season, this is the first time that South Carolina has failed to reach the postseason tournament. The conclusion of the 2025 season will also be the 10th consecutive season that South Carolina has missed the NCAA Tournament.
Head coach Tony Annan said he is frustrated that South Carolina's season came to an end so soon.
“I'm devastated because this has come to an end shorter than I wanted to," Annan said. "But I hate to lose, and I won't continue to lose, and we'll get it right. I know that."
South Carolina dropped their regular season finale against No. 12 West Virginia 2-1 on Nov. 4 after holding a 1-0 lead heading into halftime. Had the Gamecocks won the match, they would've clinched the eighth seed and a playoff berth in the Sun Belt Conference Tournament.
Annan said despite the loss, he was proud of his team's performance against the highly touted Mountaineers.
"Taking everything else to the side, I was really, really, really pleased with the way the guys came out and had a go at probably one of the top-10 teams in the country," Annan said. "I think we took it to them, and I think they were lucky to get out of here with a win."
The Gamecocks concluded their season 0-6-1 in their last seven matches, having not won a game since a 1-0 victory over James Madison on Sept. 28.
During the winless span, South Carolina was outscored 17-5 by its opponents. The Gamecocks failed to score multiple goals in any of these games.
On the defensive end, sophomore goalkeeper Filip Versterre started every single game in between the pipes for the Gamecocks for the second consecutive season.
Versterre recorded a 60.5% save percentage and a 1.83 goals against average in 2025, a drop-off from his freshman year where he saved 75.0% of his shots on a 1.12 goals against average.
Along with Versterre, freshman forward Matthew DeJianne, sophomore defender Yvan Malarte and sophomore forward Loïc Sany Kong were amongst the underclassmen who contributed to the 2025 team. The trio all started at least five games this season.
Annan recently signed a three-year extension with South Carolina during the season. He said there is an urgency to win and improve the program, as his recruiting for next season starts as soon as Nov. 5, the day after his 2025 season came to an end.
"I need to get the players that I need to win here," Annan said. "I think now at this point, at this stage, I know exactly what we need. And I'm not guessing ... I know what I need, and I know how I'm going to do it."
Earlier in the season, junior midfielder Jonah Biggar talked about the importance of winning games against Sun Belt opponents.
"We're looking to win obviously but most importantly win conference games," Biggar said.
South Carolina’s best win came on Sept. 13, when the team traveled to Greensboro, North Carolina, to defeat then-No. 11 UNC Greensboro Spartans 2-1. The Gamecocks scored two unanswered goals in this match, including Sany Kong’s eventual game winner in the 83rd minute. The Spartans still remain a top-25 team in the nation.
Despite the failure to extend play beyond the regular season, several South Carolina players had notable individual success this year.
Senior defender William Nillson, junior midfielder Mika Habel and Marlate were all honored with Sun Belt Defensive Player of the Week awards throughout the course of the season.
On the offensive end of the field senior midfielder Ethan Ballek and senior forward Tyler Trimnal both got recognized with a Sun Belt Offensive Player of the Week.
Habel talked about the high standard that the South Carolina men’s soccer program induces.
“(It’s) not ideal because we lost ... We want to win every game. That’s the goal. That’s the standard here,” Habel said. “We want to improve every game, but most importantly, (we don’t want to) look too far ahead and keep our standard high."
Ballek led the Gamecocks in points this season, as his eight goals and four assists paced the team in both of those categories. Trimmal placed second on the team in points, notching four goals and a pair of assists.
South Carolina could be losing a handful of their veterans as well due to graduation, which includes sixth-year defender Andrew Goldsworthy, senior midfielder Alexander Stjernegaard, Ballek and Trimnal.
Annan said he was pleased with how his players presented themselves during their final game.
"(There was) a big emphasis on 'This could be the last time you play in Stone Stadium, the last time you wear a Gamecock shirt,'" Annan said. "I think everyone played with pride, spirit (and) grit ... I couldn't be more pleased with how they left their legacy here."