Carolina Falls At No. 3 Clemson 2-1 (OT) In NCAA Second Round
Nov. 20, 2016
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CLEMSON, S.C. — South Carolina (11-8-1) dropped a heart-breaking, 2-1, overtime match at No. 3 Clemson Sunday night in the Second Round of the 2016 NCAA Division I Men’s Soccer Championship. The Tigers tied the score in the 86th minute and scored the game-winner in the 93rd minute.
Similar to the first game between the two schools, Carolina had the run-of-play for a majority of the match.
Freshman Luca Mayr was outstanding in the first half for the Gamecocks. He led all players with three shots at the break. In the 14th minute, Mayr found a seam in the defense and rocketed a shot from just outside the 18-yard box. He missed wide.
Shortly after in the 16th minute, senior Koty Millard fired a shot from essentially the same spot on the field, but goalkeeper Ximo Miralles was able to scoop it up.
Clemson’s best chance to score in the opening half came in the 22nd minute. Goalkeeper Wiliam Pyle left the net to make a play on the ball. Sophomore defender Andre Streete slid down to clear it off the line for the team save.
The team’s headed to the locker room scoreless at the break. The Gamecocks held a 7-6 advantage in shots, while the Tigers held a 7-6 edge in corners.
In the 71st minute, senior Ive Burnett played a beautiful high-arching ball from midfield into the six. A Clemson defender just barely got a foot on the ball to change its direction slightly and knock it on far post for the own goal, giving Carolina 1-0 lead with under 20 minutes to play.
The Tigers scored the equalizer with just four minutes left in the 86th minute. Iman Mafi slipped a pass that got through the Gamecock defense in front of the net to Alex Happi, who finished for the game-tying goal.
It was Happi again who found the back of the net for Clemson in the 93rd minute. He was able to get off a shot in a scrum 10-yards from the net that snuck just passed the outstretched arms of Pyle.
GAMECHANGER
Happi’s late goal in the second half tied the match and sent it to extra time, where Clemson would eventually score the game-winner on the first shot of extra time.
KEY STAT
The Tigers held a 13-5 edge in corner kicks, with a majority of their chances coming off set pieces.
NOTABLE
- With the loss, South Carolina falls to 16-22-3 all-time in the NCAA Tournament.
- The Gamecock senior class ends its careers with back-to-back appearances in the NCAA Second Round.
- For the 31st time under the direction of head coach Mark Berson, Carolina will finish the season with double-digit wins.
