Sept. 17, 2010
| Coach Berson Post-Match Interview |
| Highlights |
COLUMBIA, S.C. – The University of South Carolina men’s soccer team (2-1-1) battled Iona College (1-2-1) to a 2-2, double-overtime draw in action at Stone Stadium on Friday night. The contest was Carolina’s first of the annual Gamecock Classic. South Carolina twice overcame a one-goal deficit to even the score with the Gaels and earn the non-conference tie. Junior midfielder Danny Cates and senior defender Will Traynor each tallied a goal for South Carolina in the contest.
The 110-minute match saw South Carolina hold a 28-12 upperhand in shots, including a dominating 7-3 advantage in overtime, while the Gamecocks held a 12-3 upperhand in shots on goal. Senior forward Blake Brettschneider tallied a game-high eight shots, including four on frame, while freshman midfielder Chipper Root added seven and classmate Bradlee Baladez contributed four. Junior midfielder Stephen Morrissey earned the assist on Carolina’s first goal by Cates, while Cates earned his first assist of the season on Traynor’s tally in the 78th minute.
Iona was led offensively by Shane Jeffery, who tallied the first Gael goal in the 14th minute, and Rob Hernandez-Raaen, who scored on a penalty kick mid-way through the second half. Samuel Adjei also tallied one shot on goal in the match for the Gaels.
Defensively, South Carolina goalkeeper Jimmy Maurer collected one save, playing the entire match in goal for Carolina, while Iona counterpart Jesse Fullerton collected 10 saves in the draw. The teams combined for 52 fouls in the contest, with South Carolina holding a 30-22 upperhand. Each team collected six yellow cards and one red.
Iona marked the scoreboard first, when in the 14th minute Gael midfielder Shane Jeffery capitalized on an Iona corner kick from teammate Mario Rios. Jeffrey collected a pass nearly 30 yards away from the South Carolina goal and sent a well-placed strike over Maurer for the 1-0 Gael upperhand. South Carolina continued to pressure the Iona defense the remainder of the half, earning the equalizer just before halftime. Morrissey collected a loose ball in the Iona defensive third and sent a cross to Cates inside the six-yard box, who sailed a header over the hands of Fullerton to knot the score at 1-1.
The score held into the second half until a hand ball by a Gamecock defender in the 70th minute allowed Iona a penalty kick opportunity. Hernandez-Raaen stepped to the 12-yard hash and sent a well-placed shot to the left side of the goal to give the Gaels the 2-1 edge with just 20 minutes remaining in the match.
As in the first half, South Carolina came-from-behind to tie the match in the 78th minute. Cates sailed a throw in towards the Iona defensive third, which Traynor scored on a header to even the match at 2-2. South Carolina dominated on the offensive end of the field the remainder of the half. Root tallied five shots, and Brettschneider three, with Fullerton collecting four saves during the stretch to send the contest into the first of two 10-minute, golden-goal overtime periods.
South Carolina began overtime the way in finished regulation, dominating on the offensive end. The Gamecocks posted five shots in the first overtime session, and two shots in the final 10 minutes of action. Iona tallied three shots during the extra time, but neither team was able to capitalize on their opportunities.
The final day of the Gamecock Classic will be held on Sunday. Kentucky, who fell to No. 8 UConn, 3-0, in the night’s opening match, will play Iona at 11 a.m., followed by South Carolina vs. UConn at 1 p.m.
