Nov. 7, 2015
COLUMBIA, S.C. — No. 22 South Carolina (10-6-1) picked up its fourth win of the season over a top-15 team, defeating No. 11 Coastal Carolina (12-2-3) 1-0 on Saturday night at Stone Stadium in front of 1,840 fans.
The Gamecocks’ goal on Senior Night came from freshman Trygve Ellingstad, who punched home the rebound off senior Wesley Eads’ shot from inside the six in the 36th minute. Ellingstad’s strike was the third in the series, as Chanticleer goalkeeper Fernando Pina stopped junior Kurtis Turner’s blast from the top of the 18 to start the sequence.
South Carolina fired 24 shots on the night, making Pina stop six shots. In the second half, the Gamecocks had multiple looks turn into near misses, including a shot from inside the six going over the crossbar and another chance on a breakaway hitting the far post.
Coastal had its chances as well, sending 20 shots toward goal on the night, three coming on frame. South Carolina sophomore William Pyle made three saves, including a diving stop with 30 seconds left on a free kick from 20 yards away at the top of the box.
Game Changer:
The Gamecocks’ relentless effort on the sequence in the 36th minute showed off the strong offensive attack.
Key Stat:
South Carolina won the shot battle 24-20 on the night.
Notables:
• The Gamecocks posted their first undefeated home season at Stone Stadium in history and the program’s second in its 38 years (1993 the other).
• Turner led all players with eight shots on the night, while Eads had two on goal.
• Martin Melchor led Coastal with five shots on the evening.
• Prior to the match, South Carolina honored eight senior players, two managers and an athletic training student.
• All eight Gamecock seniors played in the contest, three drawing the start (Ryan Arambula, Asa Kryst and Jeffrey Torda).
• The win is the Gamecocks’ fourth over a ranked team this season, all at home (No. 8 Elon, No. 7 New Mexico, No. 13 Old Dominion).
Tweet of the Game:
@GamecockMSoccer congratulations guys on an undefeated regular season at the grave yard!keep it going. Cock+a-doodle-woooo!!! Gooo Cocks!☺😀
— Charlie Moore Jr. (@USCGamecockBoy) November 8, 2015
Quotable:
Head coach Mark Berson
Coastal is a very, very good team. They are talented and well-coached. We knew coming in that this would be a big challenge tonight. I thought it was a game between two really, really good teams. It was a track meet at times, and both teams played well defensively. For us to come out on top tonight and have a shutout against a team like Coastal and to play as well as we did in stretches is really good. I’m proud of our guys. We played our most complete game again.
On the undefeated home schedule
We play a really tough schedule every year. It’s no small feat to finish the season undefeated (at home). I’m really proud of the guys. They were really excited. It’s a great feeling. It’s a great accomplishment for the group.
Up Next:
South Carolina plays next in the Conference USA Tournament, which begins Wednesday at Transamerica Field in Charlotte, N.C. The third-seeded Gamecocks face sixth-seeded New Mexico at 4:30 p.m. on the tournament’s first day.
