Sept. 10, 2010
PROVIDENCE, RI – The South Carolina men’s soccer team suffered a 1-0 loss to Brown in its opening match at the Brown Soccer Classic at Stevenson Field in Providence, R.I., Friday night. Senior forward Blake Brettschneider led the Gamecocks with three shots in the contest.
“This was a hard fought, evenly contested game down to the wire,” South Carolina head coach Mark Berson said. “Brown capitalized on a good opportunity and that was the difference in the game. We created some chances but weren’t able to score. I was pleased with the way our team responded to playing on the road in a difficult environment. We need to learn from this and push on.”
Brown held an 18-11 upperhand in shots in the match, while the Bears also held a 3-2 advantage in corner kicks. Both teams committed 11 fouls, with Brown collecting three yellow cards to just one earned by Carolina.
Brettschneider led the Gamecocks with three shots, all shots on goal, while freshman midfielder Bradlee Baladez added two. Sean Rosa led Brown with a game-best five shots on the night, including the game-winning tally in the 83rd minute on a double-assist from Thomas McNamara and Jon Okafor.
In net for Carolina, senior goalkeeper Jimmy Maurer collected three saves, while allowing one goal. Brown counterpart Paul Grandstrand collected five saves in the shutout victory.
Brown held a 9-4 advantage in shots during the opening half of play, but South Carolina had the first offensive threat in the fifth minute of the contest. Brettschneider collected the first shot of the match, but the attempt on frame was saved by Grandstrand. Brown was quick to counter, with consecutive shots by Eric Robertson and McNamara in the seventh and eighth minute, respectively, but neither shot challenged Maurer in goal, as both shots sailed wide of frame. Back and forth play followed, with the Gamecocks collecting two shots, the first a blocked attempt by Danny Cates and the second, another save by Grandstrand on a strike off the foot of Baladez near the 21-minute mark of the match.
Maurer collected two saves in net during the scoreless opening half, the first in the 31st minute, a strike by Rosa on frame, followed 10 minutes later by a header from T.J. Popolizio.
Brown had several shots blocked early in the second half before a strike by South Carolina’s Stephen Morrissey in the 65th minute cleared off the goal line by the Brown defense turned momentum to the Gamecocks. Grandstrand saved a shot by Brettschneider in the 74th minute, and Lindsay and Arthur tallied shots just moments later, but South Carolina was unable to capitalize.
Rosa scored the lone goal of the match on a double-assist in the 83rd minute for the 1-0 Brown upperhand. Okafor sailed a cross into the Gamecock six-yard box, which was redirected by McNamara to Rosa who scored on a header. Carolina continued to pressure the Brown defense, as Traynor and Brettschneider forced Grandstrand to make two saves late in the match to clinch the one-goal victory.
South Carolina concludes tournament action versus Yale on Sunday. Game time is set for 12 p.m.
