The South Carolina men’s soccer team concluded its 2021 season with its fourth-straight winless match on Friday night, losing 3-2 against Old Dominion at Stone Stadium. The Gamecocks’ last victory against the Monarchs was on Oct. 29, 2017, and they have lost four of their five meetings since.
The scoreboard indicated the match was an evenly-sided affair, as South Carolina barely outshot its Virginian opponents by a 12-11 margin. However, South Carolina was unable to convert on most of these chances, while Old Dominion scored on three of its five shots on target.
“(We've been) dominating games, dominating possession and then not putting teams away,” head coach Tony Annan said post-game. “It’s been the story of our season.”
The Gamecocks found an early breakthrough in the 25th minute when a longball by graduate student midfielder Kyle Gurrieri found junior forward Brian Banahan unmarked in Old Dominion’s defensive third.
South Carolina’s early advantage did not last long, as sophomore midfielder Eli Carr scored a tap-in from close range in the 34th minute.
The second half began with an increased tempo from both sides, and the Gamecocks were rewarded with another goal within five minutes. Sophomore forward Peter Clement pounced on the ball that sophomore goalkeeper Djibril Doumbia was unable to handle and lofted it into the empty net.
The turning point of the match happened moments later in the 51st minute when the referee awarded the Monarchs with a penalty kick after the ball struck the hand of a South Carolina defender. Monarch freshman midfielder Eliot Goldthorp provided an important equalizer with a composed finish from the spot.
Old Dominion scored a go-ahead goal four minutes later, with Carr’s high pressure resulting in a takeaway and thunderous shot for his second score of the night.
South Carolina did not let these obstacles get the best of them, fighting until the final whistle in their pursuit of a third goal that would send the match to overtime. Multiple players’ shots hit the woodwork—junior midfielder Logan Hitzeman in the 73rd minute, and Clement in the 81st—but the Gamecock’s goal tally remained two after ninety minutes.
“I was actually pleased with the guys — pleased with their effort,” Annan said.
With the loss, South Carolina’s record fell to 5-9-2 overall and 1-5-2 in Conference USA play. The Gamecocks ended their season seventh in the conference, finishing just short of a berth to the first round of the Conference USA Tournament, which begins on Wednesday, Nov. 10.