Gamecocks Net Five Goals in Win Over Eagles

COLUMBIA, S.C. – The South Carolina men’s soccer team (4-2) closed out its homestand with a 5-1 win over Winthrop (0-5) Tuesday night (Sept. 9). Ethan Ballek and Matthew DeJianne both tallied a brace in the victory.

Ballek got the Gamecocks on the board early, scoring from just outside the 6-yard box and putting the ball in the upper right corner in the 6th minute. Tyler Trimnal earned the assist when he tapped a through ball to set Ballek up for the shot. The assist was Trimnal’s first of the season.

Trimnal netted a goal of his own just a few minutes later. The Winthrop goalkeeper blocked a shot from Ballek, and the rebound fell perfectly to Trimnal’s feet. His one-touch shot gave the Gamecocks a 2-0 lead in the 10th minute. The goal was Trimnal’s third of the season.

The two teams settled in for the rest of the first half until Ballek got his second goal in the 44th minute. He received the ball near midfield and beat out two defenders to turn and charge for the goal. Ballek’s shot from outside the 18-yard box beat the goalkeeper and sailed into the lower right corner, bringing his season total to a team-leading four goals.

The Gamecocks continued to attack coming out of the half, taking three shots with two on goal through the first 20 minutes. DeJianne broke through and connected with the back of the net in the 69th minute to score his first goal of the season and increase the lead to 4-0. Samy Kolby received the ball in the 18-yard box and passed it to DeJianne, who slotted the ball into the lower left corner.

The Eagles got on the board in the 76th minute to cut the Carolina led to 4-1.

DeJianne got the goal back in the 79th minute. Kolby crossed the ball in the air from the left sideline to the top of the 18-yard box. Kieran Karp headed the ball behind him to DeJianne, who was on the run. His one-time shot gave the Gamecocks their final goal of the match. The assist was Karp’s first of the season.

On the night, South Carolina led 13-to-6 in shots and 8-to-1 in shots on goal. The Eagles led 2-to-1 in corner kicks.

South Carolina hits the road Saturday to take on No. 11 UNCG at 7 p.m.

For the latest on men’s soccer, visit GamecocksOnline.com or follow the team’s social media accounts on Twitter @GamecockMSoccer, Facebook /GamecockMSoccer, and Instagram @GamecockMSoccer.