Hosting No. 2 Wake Forest, the South Carolina men's soccer team suffered a 1-0 defeat against a formidable opposing defense.
South Carolina was coming off of a Saturday victory against UAB which continued their streak of eight straight matches without a loss. Meanwhile, the Demon Deacons were riding a huge wave of momentum after a 2-1 victory over the previously ranked No. 2 Louisville Cardinals.
Wake Forest was on the attack early and often. In the first five minutes of the match they were able to get off three shots.
This trend continued throughout the first half. The Gamecocks were hindered by a 10 to 4 shot disadvantage, but played outstanding defense to prevent the Demon Deacons from scoring.
Continually making impressive plays, Wake Forest goalkeeper Alec Ferrell stifled any kind of offensive momentum South Carolina was able to muster.
Wake Forest senior Hayden Partain scored the lone goal on a header set up by a cross from Logan Gdula early in the second half.
Ferrell continued his stellar play throughout the second half, finishing with three saves on the night. The Gamecocks applied a lot of offensive pressure early on, and senior midfielder Koty Millard had two shots on target in the 59th and 65th minute. Ferrell caught both shots and prevented either potential equalizer from going in.
The Demon Deacons produced two chances in the box in 69th and 79th, breaking a relative lull in the action. A score there and the game would have been put out of reach, but the Gamecocks' defense held strong.
The Gamecocks pushed the ball down field very well in the final three minutes, and they had a couple of chances in the box. Alec Ferrell and the rest of the Wake Forest defense continued their top-notch performance to preserve the shutout.
Ultimately the 16-9 shot differential in favor of Wake Forest proved to be enough for the Demon Deacons to secure the win.
After the match, South Carolina head coach Mark Berson said, “I thought on the night they were sharper for longer periods of time than we were. Having said that, once we kind of got up to speed and got going I thought we did stand toe to toe with them.”
Coach Berson thought that the transition play from both teams was outstanding. That would explain why, in a game where 25 shots were taken, only one goal was scored.
South Carolina falls to 8-4-1 on the season. Their next match is on the road against Old Dominion on Saturday.