The South Carolina men's soccer team was unable to repeat its strong start from Tuesday's opener against Winthrop into Sunday afternoon's match against the North Florida Ospreys.
The Gamecocks scored two goals before the hour mark in its match against North Florida, but a pair of late goals from the visitors resulted in a 2-2 draw. After a high-scoring display in its first match of the 2024 season, South Carolina's offense took a slight step backward against North Florida. The team recorded just seven total shots after scoring seven goals against Winthrop.
Most of the opening minutes of the match were spent near midfield, as neither team completed a sustained attack towards its opponent's goal until the Gamecocks earned a corner kick in the 14th minute. Junior midfielder Ethan Ballek recorded South Carolina's first shot of the match less than one minute later.
It wouldn't be much longer before the Gamecocks' offensive efforts were rewarded with a goal. Senior Harrison Myring scored his second goal of the season — a career-high for the English forward — to give the Gamecocks a 1-0 lead.
Both teams headed into the halftime break on equal footing with four shots apiece, despite South Carolina's early advantage. But the Gamecocks would shortly double their lead in the second period on a goal scored by senior midfielder Sebastian Reventlow-Mourier in the 55th minute.
The Gamecocks would not hold on to that offensive momentum for long, however, as the Ospreys' offense would remain potent for the rest of the half. North Florida earned five unanswered corner kicks in the early stages of the second half and recorded just one shot by the 80th minute.
North Florida's late pressure would eventually lead to a change in the score. Late goals from senior midfielder Rentaro Miyakawa and junior forward Braden Masker in the 81st and 84th minutes, respectively, ultimately helped bring the match back to a stalemate.
South Carolina's attack not as efficient
The Gamecocks' offense on Thursday night was aided by a one-man advantage it held for over one hour after senior defender Diego Candia earned an early red card. But the Gamecocks still saw a dramatic 20-shot decrease in the number of total shooting attempts it made across 90 minutes on Sunday.
The Gamecocks were also less efficient on the shots it directed towards North Florida's goal. Of South Carolina's 27 shots on Thursday, 21 were designated as shots on goal. Only two out of seven, of the team's shots on Sunday were shots on target.
Defense holds strong, but cannot sustain momentum
The Gamecocks' defense remained strong for the majority of the match. Even though the team's offense managed just seven total shots over the course of 90 minutes, North Florida only registered one more and finished the game with eight.
But South Carolina could not stop the Ospreys' attack in crunch time, which played a big role in the match ultimately ending in a tie. The Gamecocks were outshot 4-3 and lost the corner kick battle 5-0 during the second half.
Fans flock to Stone Stadium, despite result
Men's soccer was one of three NCAA Division I-sanctioned sports, along with women's basketball and women's soccer, to lead the nation in attendance during the 2023-2024 academic year. South Carolina's average attendance at Stone Stadium for men's soccer matches across 2023 was 4,306 fans.
Through the Gamecocks' first two games of the 2024 campaign, Stone Stadium has seen attendance figures that could rival that mark. Almost 4,000 fans showed up to the venue for Sunday's match against North Florida, while 6,622 fans — the second-largest crowd in Stone Stadium history — watched the team's season opener against Winthrop on Tuesday.
What's next?
South Carolina will return to action on Friday, Aug. 30, when it takes on Clemson, who was ranked No. 1 in the United Soccer Coaches preseason poll, at Stone Stadium. Kickoff is set for 7 p.m., and the match will be broadcast on ESPN+.