The Gamecocks racked another win up when they defeated High Point 3-1 Wednesday night, all thanks to some late-game heroics.
In the first half, possession and shot total favored the Gamecocks, but the scoreboard indicated a different outcome.
The Gamecocks poked the High Point defense early as senior Koty Millard and freshman Luca Mayr recorded two shots on goal in the first 20 minutes of play.
Head coach Mark Berson was pleased with the way his players dominated the game early on.
“I thought the first half, we played some of our best soccer of the year," he said. "We had a number of good chances, but sometimes, when you don’t hit those big chances, they come back to haunt you.”
As the half rolled on, however, High Point began to heat up.
It looked as though the Gamecocks’ defense could withstand the High Point attack. That is, until a defensive error led to a turnover on South Carolina's half of the field. High Points’ Jon Bolanos took advantage and slid a shot past Gamecock goalkeeper William Pyle, putting the Panthers up 1-0.
High Point built on their late first half momentum early in the second half, maintaining possession of the ball and providing one another with crisp passes.
In the 69th minute, however, one substitution seemed to make all the difference for the Gamecocks, as sophomore Bjorn Gudjonsson was subbed in and immediately scored a header goal off a corner kick from senior Danny Deakin. At this point, momentum seemed to shift back into the favor of the Gamecocks.
Shortly after his assist, Deakin added a goal to his stat line, rocketing a ball past the outstretched Panthers goalkeeper for the go-ahead score 2-1 in favor of the Gamecocks.
The Gamecocks continued to put pressure on the backline of the Panthers toward the end of the game and added one more goal to their total for the night. Gudjonsson recorded a second score to his impressive night, giving South Carolina a 3-1 cushion and eventually the win.
Even though Berson thought his Gamecocks played some of their best soccer all season in the first half, the difference came in the second. Admittedly, he didn't think South Carolina played particularly well, even though they scored three goals.
"I don’t think it was a lack of concentration. I don't think it was a lack of effort," Berson said. "We just did not do the simple things well in the second half."
However, Berson was impressed with his team's resilience.
"Then we were able to lift it up, come back, get the tying goal, and get the go-ahead goal, which is really important," he added. "That ability, that resiliency to come back, is always important.”
The Gamecocks will be back in action Sunday as they take on Conference USA rival Marshall at home.