Oct. 7, 2007
MIAMI, Fla. – Sophomore midfielder Jeff Scannella scored in his third consecutive game, freshman forward Blake Brettschneider contributed his third tally of the year and junior midfielder Brennan Williams scored his first career goal, as the 25th-ranked University of South Carolina men’s soccer team defeated Florida International, 3-1, Sunday in Miami. The win improves Carolina’s record to 8-3-0, including a 2-0-0 mark in league play. FIU falls to 0-8-2 for the year, with a 0-2-0 record in C-USA play. The win pushes USC’s winning streak to a season-best four games.
“This was a big win for us. It was our third game in eight days – all on the road in Birmingham (Ala.), Davidson (N.C.) and now Miami and our team played very well from start to finish today,” Carolina head coach Mark Berson said. “We defended very well, we attacked well, we possessed the ball and we had some good finishing, so it was a complete game that we played very well at the end of a long and grueling road swing for us. I’m very proud of the guys for their performance this afternoon. “
During its three-game road swing, the Gamecocks traveled over 2,200 miles in three states (Alabama, North Carolina and Florida).
Carolina dominated the offensive end of the pitch, as the Gamecocks out-shot the Panthers 17-9, including an 11-5 upperhand on shots on goal. Brettschneider paced the South Carolina offense with five shots, including three on net, while Williams and J.D. Moon contributed three and two shots on goal, respectively.
Scannella added his first assist of the season in the match, while Moon tallied his second helper of the year on Williams’ addition.
Freshman goalkeeper Jimmy Maurer anchored the Carolina defense, collecting four saves, while allowing one goal in just over 80 minutes of play. Senior goalkeeper Geoff del Forn also made an appearance for the Gamecocks. In goal for the Panthers, Kyle Thomas managed eight saves in the complete-game effort.
Scannella sent a perfect strike into the upper left corner from just beyond the 18-yard box in the 36th minute for a 1-0 South Carolina lead heading into the halftime break. In didn’t take long for USC to extend its lead in the second half, as Brettschneider connected on a header from Scannella’s corner kick in the 51st minute to push the lead to 2-0.
Williams scored his first collegiate goal on a breakaway in the 68th minute, and FIU’s Cory Kendall netted his first tally of the season in the 80th minute for the deciding 3-1 Carolina victory.
South Carolina returns to Stone Stadium after three consecutive road contests on Saturday, October 13 at 7 p.m., hosting Tulsa in a nationally-televised contest on CSTV. The game will be tape delayed, and will air on October 15 on CSTV.
