Sept. 4, 2007
COLUMBIA, S.C. – The 15th-ranked South Carolina men’s soccer team (2-0) defeated Presbyterian College (0-3), 4-0, in its home opener on Tuesday night at Stone Stadium. Freshman forward Sam Arthur contributed two goals and one assist in the victory, while sophomore defender Mark Wiltse and sophomore midfielder Jeff Scannella each registered one tally. Freshman forward Blake Brettschneider also contributed two assists in the Gamecock victory.
“I was proud of our team tonight,” South Carolina head coach Mark Berson said. “We started out pretty slow. We weren’t sharp, but the group really collected themselves at halftime and came out with that precision and sharpness in the second half.”
Arthur paced the offensive attack with three shots on goal, while sophomore midfielder Jeff Scannella and Brettschneider each registered two shots on the net. Freshman goalkeeper Jimmy Maurer made his second collegiate start, holding PC scoreless through the first 67 minutes of the night’s action, followed by 22 minutes of shutout goalkeeping from senior Geoff del Forn.
Carolina tallied a total of 14 shots compared to seven by the Blue Hose, while the Gamecocks committed 15 fouls against 11 by PC.
Despite its slow start, Carolina dominated the first half of play, posting 12 shots against just two by the Blue Hose offense. Arthur got the Gamecocks on board just 13 minutes into the contest, drawing a penalty kick in the PC six-yard box. Arthur sent a solid strike into the upper left corner of the net for a 1-0 Carolina advantage.
The Carolina scoring continued as Wiltse tallied his first goal of the season in the 31st minute on an unassisted score. The Belle Meade, N.J., native sent a high ball over the Blue Hose defense and used a deflection off the left post to extend the Carolina lead to 2-0.
The Gamecocks brought their momentum from the first half into the final 45 minutes of play, as Arthur split the PC defense to record his second goal of the game in the 48th minute on a Brettschneider assist from the right side. Scannella capped off a successful home opener, contributing the final goal of the night in the 57th minute on a well-placed cross from Brettschneider just out of reach of a diving PC goalkeeper.
Carolina continues the non-conference portion of its schedule this weekend at the UConn adidas Classic in Storrs, Conn., Sept. 7-8. USC opens tournament action against host UConn on Friday at 7 p.m., followed by a 4 p.m. contest against USF on Saturday. Visit gamecocksonline.com for complete Carolina men’s soccer coverage.
