The No. 22 Gamecocks men’s soccer team finished off the regular season with another win over a ranked opponent Saturday night defeating No. 11 Coastal Carolina 1-0.
The Gamecocks looked to finish off the regular season on Senior Night with a win as they honored eight players, two managers and an athletic training student. This match was no easy contest for South Carolina as the Chanticleers proved to be a tough opponent, but the Gamecocks managed to come up on top.
South Carolina and Coastal both had chances to get the early lead but goalkeepers sophomore William Pyle for the Gamecocks and Fernando Pina for the Chanticleers were up for the challenge.
The first and only goal on Senior Night for the Gamecocks came from freshman Trygve Ellingstad as he put the deflection from senior Wesley Eads shot in the back of the net. Pina made a fantastic save for Coastal on Turner and Eads’s shots but could not control the ball leading to Ellingstad slotting it behind the keeper for the Gamecock lead.
The Chanticleers had a great chance in the 44th minute for the equalizer, though, as freshman Jair Espinoza for Coastal had a 1-on-1 opportunity with Gamecock keeper Pyle. Pyle was able to make the key save, sending the Gamecocks into the half with a 1-0 lead.
Coastal looked to finally get that equalizer in the last minute, as the Gamecocks gave up a foul, leading to a free kick just outside of the 18-yard box for the Chanticleers.Coastal's Sergio Camargo took a magnificent free kick, but Pyle of the Gamecocks made an amazing save to secure the victory for South Carolina.
The offenses of both teams had many shots in the match as there were 44 total shots throughout the night, but the Gamecocks had just a few more shots than Coastal with 24-20. With this win, the Gamecocks finished the regular season at Stone Stadium undefeated, a major milestone for the program. This win also marks the fourth victory for the Gamecocks over a top 15 opponent, all at home.
The Gamecocks look to continue their success from the regular season in the Conference USA tournament in Charlotte, North Carolina. The third-seeded Gamecocks look to defeat sixth-seeded New Mexico again at 4:30 p.m. on Wednesday in the first round of the tournament. South Carolina defeated New Mexico earlier this season in overtime 2-1.