Aug. 19, 2014
COLUMBIA, S.C. – In front of a giant crowd of students who came out for the free exhibition, South Carolina fought but could not contain Elon, as the Phoenix claimed a 1-0 win on Tuesday evening at Stone Stadium.
A penalty kick three minutes into the second 30-minute period found its mark, as James Brace went left to beat the Gamecock keeper for the only goal of the match.
South Carolina tried to even things quickly after the Elon PK, getting four corner kicks in a two-and-a-half minute span. The only shot from the sequence went wide off a Gamecock head.
The Gamecocks tallied 12 shots, five coming on goal. Jeffrey Torda had three of those on-goal chances and five shots total. His best strike came in the 41st minute, as his blast was tapped over the crossbar and gave the Gamecocks another corner kick chance, one of six in the contest.
The fans filled Stone Stadium for the night, with a line of students wrapping around “The Graveyard” early in the match. “I have never seen a crowd like that for a preseason match,” said Gamecock head coach Mark Berson.
Game Changer:
At the halfway point of the second period, Elon subbed in an almost entirely new unit, breaking any momentum the Gamecocks had going.
Key Stat:
South Carolina made Elon stop five shots on the night, three by Matthew Jegier in just 22 minutes of play
Notables:
• South Carolina shot 12 times, compared to seven for Elon.
• Marco Velez stopped two shots in his 60 minutes in goal for the Gamecocks.
Quotable:
South Carolina Head Coach Mark Berson We addressed some things (from the USC Upstate match), but we have some things to work on moving forward. We just have to take this film, look at it, and continue to improve.
Up Next:
South Carolina closes its preseason schedule with an exhibition on Saturday at Furman. Kickoff is set for 7 p.m.
