Sept. 11, 2005
CHAPEL HILL, N.C. – The South Carolina men’s soccer team failed to find the back of the net and lost a 2-0 match at No. 2 Tar Heels in the final contest of the North Carolina Nike Classic on Sunday at Fetzer Field.
USC’s offense struggles continued as the Gamecocks did not score for the third straight match and fell to 0-4-0 on the season. UNC moved to 4-0-0 and notched its fourth shut out of the season.
Three of South Carolina’s losses are to teams ranked in the top 25 nationally this week: No. 2 North Carolina (NSCAA), No. 13 Clemson (NSCAA) and No. 16 Wake Forest (Soccer America).
The border rivals played to a scoreless tie in the first half. The Tar Heels got on the scoreboard in the 54th minute when Scott Campbell drove the ball into the lower left corner of the goal from seven yards out. Dax McCarty earned an assist on the play.
At the 67:57 mark, UNC’s Corey Ashe put away goal No. 2 on a rebound after Campbell’s initial shot was saved by Gamecock goalie Mike Gustavson. Campbell added his third point of the match with an assist on Ashe’s goal.
Gustavson, a freshman from Aiken, S.C., played all 90 minutes in goal and finished with nine saves. North Carolina goalkeeper Ford Williams made three saves and collected his fourth shutout of the season.
Junior forward Ayo Akinsete led the Gamecocks with two shots, both of which were on goal. North Carolina out-shot South Carolina, 21-4, and attempted nine corner kicks to USC’s three.
A pair of South Carolina defenders, senior Greg Reece and junior Ryan Leeton, were selected to the All-Tournament team.
In Sunday’s other match, Wake Forest handed Rutgers a 5-1 loss. Both UNC and Wake finished the Classic with a 2-0 record, but the Demon Deacons captured the tournament title on goal differential after out-scoring South Carolina and Rutgers, 8-1.
USC returns to action next weekend when it plays host to the adidas/Gamecock Soccer Classic. Loyola-Chicago and College of Charleston kick off the Classic on Friday, Sept. 16, at 5 p.m., followed by South Carolina and Penn at 7:30 p.m. On Sunday, Sept. 18, Charleston takes on Penn at 1:30 p.m., and USC will battle Loyola-Chicago at 3:30 p.m.
