The South Carolina men's soccer team was so close to improbably clinching an automatic bid into the NCAA tournament but faltered to Old Dominion by a score of 2-1 in the Conference-USA Championship.
The Gamecocks (10-10) got down early after the Monarchs scored in the 19th minute. South Carolina had trouble creating chances for the majority of the game, and Old Dominion put in a second goal in the 75th minute. The Gamecocks scrambled back to try and even the score, and junior midfielder Jeffrey Torda made it a 2-1 in the 82nd minute. A few minutes later, redshirt freshman Mikkel Knudsen had a chance to tie the match but hit the post.
South Carolina couldn't really get anything going from there, and its chance at an NCAA tournament berth is a longshot now.
As the lowest seed in the conference tournament (No. 7), it was impressive for the Gamecocks to get as far as they did. South Carolina beat No. 2 seed Kentucky 2-1 in its first match by way of sophomore midfielder Koty Millard's goal in the final seconds. South Carolina beat UAB in the semifinals with Knudsen's goal the lone tally in the game. Earning a spot on the Conference USA All-Tournament team was Knudsen, senior defenders Braeden Troyer and Mahamoudou Kaba, as well as sophomore goalkeeper Marco Velez.