Oct. 9, 2010
TULSA, OK – The 20th-ranked South Carolina men’s soccer team (6-3-1, 2-1-0 C-USA) earned a 1-0 upset victory over No. 5 Tulsa on the road on Saturday night in Conference USA action. Senior defender Will Traynor scored the goal for Carolina, his fourth of the season.
“The stretch that our team has just finished with our game versus Tulsa tonight is the most difficult that a South Carolina team has ever faced,” Gamecock head coach Mark Berson said. “In the stretch, we played five nationally ranked teams in the various top 25 polls, four of them on the road, and won four out of five. That is an outstanding achievement. I’m very proud of this team and what they have accomplished. This was a great win tonight. On the national level, and most importantly on the conference level. We now return home for two more extremely difficult games in NC State and Central Florida on the weekend.”
Tulsa held an 11-8 upperhand in shots, including a 6-5 advantage in shots on goal. Freshman midfielder Chipper Root led Carolina with five shots in the match, including three on goal, while Traynor added one, his game-winning goal, on an assist by senior forward Blake Brettschneider. Hunter Christiansen, Omar Matta and Austin Neil led the Golden Hurricane with two shots each in the loss.
South Carolina goalkeeper Jimmy Maurer collected his fifth shutout of the season in the win, collecting four saves. Tulsa counterpart Michael Murray also tallied four saves, while allowing one Gamecock goal.
Traynor scored the game winner for South Carolina in the 68th minute on an assist from Brettschneider. The goal was scored from three yards out on a header. The goal was Traynor’s fourth of the season, which ties with Brettschneider for the team lead, while it marked his first game winner of the year.
South Carolina will host NC State in non-conference action at Stone Stadium on Tuesday. Match time is set for 7 p.m.
