Sept. 12, 2010
PROVIDENCE, RI – The South Carolina men’s soccer team earned a 1-0 victory over Yale in its final contest of the Brown Soccer Classic on Sunday at Stevenson Field in Providence, R.I. Freshman midfielder Bradlee Baladez tallied the game-winning goal for South Carolina, the first goal of his college career.
“I’m really proud of our team today,” South Carolina head coach Mark Berson said. “They battled back against a good Yale team to win on the road. We had a number of good scoring opportunities in the game, and were able to capitalize in the second half on the goal to give us the victory.”
South Carolina held a 19-11 advantage in shots in the contest, also earning a 6-5 upperhand in corner kick attempts. Baladez added three shots, including the game winner, while senior forward Blake Brettschneider led the Gamecocks with five and freshman midfielder Chipper Root added three. Andy Shorten led the Bulldogs with three shots in the contest.
Senior goalkeeper Jimmy Maurer played stellar in net for the Gamecocks, collecting his second shutout of the season and the 21st of his career. Maurer collected a season high seven saves in the contest. Yale counterpart Bobby Thalman collected four saves in the loss.
Both teams managed seven shots in the opening half of play with Maurer collecting four saves and Thalman two. The Bulldogs challenged with a shot just three minutes into the half that forced Maurer to make an early save. Brettschneider followed in the fifth minute with a shot high over the cross bar and Baladez added an attempt that sailed just wide of frame four minutes later. Back and forth play followed, with Maurer earning two more saves midway through the half to hold the contest scoreless. Carolina continued to pressure the Bulldog defense the remainder of the half, but neither team capitalized on their offensive opportunities through the opening 45 minutes of action.
South Carolina began the second half with a flurry of offensive threats, capped by Baladez’s goal in the 56th minute. Carolina connected for six shots in the first six minute of the half, including two each by Brettschneider and Root before Baladez gave the Gamecocks the one-goal advantage.
South Carolina dominated the remainder of the half, as Carolina added several shots and Maurer collected three saves in the final half. The Gamecock defense held Yale to just four shots during the final 45 minutes to collected the 1-0 victory.
South Carolina returns to Stone Stadium to host the annual Gamecock Classic, Sept. 17-19. Action begins on Friday, Sept. 17, when Kentucky faces UConn at 5 p.m., followed by South Carolina versus Iona at 7:30 p.m. Live stats for all games will be available via GamecocksOnline.com.
