The No. 22 South Carolina men’s soccer team fell to an unranked Charlotte team on Friday in a heated matchup at Transamerica field in Charlotte, North Carolina. This game was physical, especially for Charlotte, who committed a total of 15 fouls, while the Gamecocks committed nine of their own. It was a truly fierce matchup, even if the 2-0 Charlotte win made the game seem one-sided.
The 49ers came out strong, scoring both of their goals in the first half. Charlotte first scored just three minutes in off a goal from midfielder Brandt Bronico. Later in the 21st minute, they sealed the deal with a goal by forward Kyle Parker, making this his eighth goal of the season.
The Gamecocks came to life in the second half, putting five shots on goal for the game, but were not able to capitalize. South Carolina senior forward/midfielder Jeffrey Torda led the Gamecocks with a total of three shots in the game.
Referee Andrew Chapin also was not stingy when it came to reprimanding the players during this game, showing the first card within just five minutes of play. He handed out a total of seven cards in just this game alone — four to the Gamecocks and three to the 49ers.
Freshman defender Andre Streete was even dealt a red card for the Gamecocks in the 86th minute and was duly ejected from the game. South Carolina finished the game with just 10 men, but still fought fiercely until the last minute. Sophomore goalkeeper William Pyle, aside from the two goals he let in, had eight saves over the course of the game.
The Gamecocks are approaching the end of their regular season, with all three of their final games back home at Stone Stadium. They face FIU next on Oct. 27th in an evening matchup.