The South Carolina men’s soccer team won the team's final game of the 2024 regular season against Georgia Southern by a 3-0 score Tuesday night.
The Gamecocks performed well on defense, as the players shut out the Eagles and saved a total of eight shot attempts on goal. Georgia Southern kept South Carolina's defense busy, but the defense held firm in not allowing any goals.
Freshman goalkeeper Fillip Versterre said he was impressed with the team's defense execution down the stretch.
"Usually, what we do is defend really well. And then, in the last minute, we end up conceding a goal," Versterre sid. "So, I focused a lot on making sure that we were defending and holding each other accountable and making sure we got that clean sheet."
The Eagles applied pressure to South Carolina’s defense early in the match with two shots on goal in the first two minutes of the game, both of which were saved by Versterre.
The Gamecocks responded with a shot on goal attempt by freshman midfielder Alejandro Velazquez-Lopez that was saved by Georgia Southern’s junior goalkeeper Nate Martinez. The two teams exchanged shot attempts once again, but South Carolina would gain the first lead of the match with goal by senior forward Harrison Myring, which was assisted by sophomore midfielder Jonah Biggar, in the 24th minute.
Following the goal, the Eagles accumulated three consecutive fouls as the team attempted to tie the game. The Eagles and the Gamecocks exchanged shots as South Carolina attempted to increase the team's lead with two more shots to close the half with no success, thus ending the first half up 1-0.
In the 47th minute, freshman midfielder Joe O’Connor was given a yellow card. Despite the setback, the Eagles continued to generate sustained offensive attacks into the Gamecocks' defensive territory with two shot attempts on goal from freshman forwards Ricky Louis and Harvey Sarajian.
Neither team would gain any footing over the next few minutes, as fouls accumulated late in the second half. Over the course of 90 minutes, Georgia Southern totaled 12 fouls, while the Gamecocks were called for 11.
The Eagles continued with an aggressive approach in the second half with four corner kicks over seven minutes, but the Gamecock defense stayed strong as freshman goalkeeper Filip Versterre saved two more shots.
In the 64th minute, redshirt junior midfielder Jack Burgess scored the second goal for the Gamecocks assisted by fifth year defender Sonny Quintanilla. That lead would grow to 3-0 just under 20 minutes when freshman midfielder Grant Mateer found the back of the net in the 83rd minute.
Georgia Southern’s freshman defender Ole Songe missed the final shot attempt of the game, which all but confirmed the Gamecocks' shutout.
A strong defensive performance
Georgia Southern's offense tested South Carolina's defense throughout the night, as the Eagles attempted 18 shots, eight of which were on goal. Versterre prevented the Eagles from scoring a goal, logging eight saves on the night.
While Versterre prevented the Eagles from scoring numerous times, he gave credit to his teammates as well.
"They were blocking shots," Versterre said. "They were jumping in front and doing everything to make it as hard for the attacker as possible to make me make the save, so a lot of credit to them as well."
Head coach Tony Annan also praised the Gamecocks' defensive effort.
"The way that we play, we do give up a lot of perimeter shots, but our team stood strong," Annan said.
Win to close out conference play
This match marked the end of South Carolina's regular season. The Gamecocks finished with an overall record of 10-4-2, including a 5-4-0 mark against Sun Belt opponents.
Annan said his approach to the game places value on processes of the game that achieve a result, rather than focusing on the result itself.
"They played in every phase of play, and they followed every principle, which means the process was being followed, and then you get a result," Annan said.
Versterre added that the win was "awesome" and that South Carolina would be looking to make a few adjustments moving forward.
"There were periods where we would like to have the ball more and play more," Versterre said. "I didn't like (that) we had to defend as much in the second half, but winning (3-0), you can't complain."
Positivity heading into conference play
However, the end of the regular season does not signal the end of South Carolina's 2024 campaign.
The Sun Belt Conference Men's Soccer Championship is on the horizon, and Versterre commented on the Gamecocks' participation in the tournament.
"I'm excited ... I feel like we have a really good group," Versterre said. "Let's see how far we go."
What's next?
The Gamecocks are set to face off against the Kentucky Wildcats (4-5-6 overall, 3-2-3 Sun Belt) in the first round of the Sun Belt tournament. Kickoff is set for 7 p.m. on Sunday, and the game will be broadcast on ESPN+.