Sept. 24, 2012
DALLAS, Texas – The South Carolina men’s soccer team (3-5-1, 0-2-0 C-USA) suffered a 2-1 loss on the road at SMU (5-2-2, 1-0-0 C-USA) in Conference USA action in Dallas, Texas, on Monday night. Sophomore midfielder Asa Kryst tallied the first goal of his career in the contest.
“I’m extremely proud of the team tonight and how we played coming off of a difficult loss on Friday at Tulsa,” South Carolina head coach Mark Berson said. “Our team rebounded very well and played exceptional tonight; we were unlucky not to come away with a little more than what we did. Having said that, this is a learning experience. We’ll work hard to improve and that begins with our next conference match against FIU on Saturday.”
Carolina held a 17-8 upperhand in shots in the match, including an 8-3 advantage in shots on goal. Kryst posted the Carolina score in the 89th minute on an assist from freshman midfielder Jeffrey Torda. Junior striker Bradlee Baladez and Kryst paced Carolina with two shots on goal in the match.
SMU forward Tyler Engle scored both Mustang goals, just over one minute apart from one another in the first half. His three shots led the team, while Andrew Morales and Derek Schrick collected assists.
Gamecock netminder Alex Long earned one save in the match, while SMU counterpart Jaime Ibarra collected a game high seven saves. The match proved physical, as the teams combined for 31 fouls, including one yellow card on Carolina.
Baladez would have his first shot in the fifth minute, and the Gamecocks would have five shots midway through the half, but it was SMU who marked the scoreboard in the 34th minute on a tally by Engle into the lower left corner of frame for a 1-0 Mustang upperhand.
Engle would score the eventual game winner just over one minute later on another strike to the left side of the net putting the score at 2-0 SMU in the 35th minute.
Ibarra would make a save on a shot from Kryst soon after, and both J.P. Rafferty and Eric Martinez would have attempts for Carolina, but the score stood at 2-0 SMU at the half.
Ibarra would be forced to make several saves in the second half, including an early shot from Baladez, and another from midfielder Stephen Anderson in the 69th minute. The teams would trade possession until late in the contest when Carolina pressed on the offensive end.
Defender Kevin Stam had a header shot in the 84th minute saved by Ibarra before Kryst would mark the scoreboard in the 89th minute on Torda’s helper. Time would run out on the comeback attempt from the Gamecocks and SMU escaped with a 2-1 victory.
South Carolina continues Conference USA action when it hosts FIU on Saturday. Match time is set for 7 p.m. ET. Live stats and free live video will be available via GamecocksOnline.com.
