Sept. 10, 2013
CONWAY, S.C. – South Carolina (2-2-0) fell to Coastal Carolina (2-2-0) in non-conference action at CCU Soccer Field on Tuesday night. Freshman defender Ive Burnett netted his first career goal early in the match to score for the Gamecocks.
“For the first part of the game we played really well, then we went down a man and the penalty tied the game. From then it was an uphill climb,” said South Carolina head coach Mark Berson of the team’s effort. “I thought in the second half, we played very well. At times we had some good chances to get back in it down 2-1. It wasn’t to be. There were some good adjustments on the part of our players. We’ve got a lot of work to do and a short time to do it as we have St. John’s on Friday.”
Coastal Carolina outshot South Carolina 17-5, as five different Gamecocks recorded shots. The Gamecocks did not receive a corner kick opportunity in the match. Junior forward Ricky Garbanzo and freshman midfielder Sergio Camargo led the way for Coastal offensively, each tallying four shots. Camargo came off the bench to score two goals with Garbanzo notching the other Coastal score.
South Carolina used two goalkeepers in the match. Junior Robert Beebe started in goal and recorded four saves on the night. Freshman Marco Velez entered in the 67th minute and was able to save two shots. Coastal Carolina played two keepers as well. Junior Frederico Bertele and sophomore Devin Cook each played a half and recorded one save apiece.
Burnett quickly gave the Gamecocks a 1-0 lead just 4:38 into the match on a rocket from the near side almost 35 yards out. Coastal’s Bertele leapt to protect his goal, but Burnett’s shot blasted over his hand just under the crossbar.
Quickly, Coastal went on the attack with Garbanzo sending a shot to the far post, but Beebe was there to preserve the South Carolina advantage.
In the 12th minute, junior defender Braeden Troyer was shown a red card within the 18-yard box. Senior midfielder Pedro Ribeiro leveled the match at 1-1 for CCU on the ensuing penalty kick. With the card, the Gamecocks were forced to play the final 78 minutes down a man.
Junior midfielder Asa Kryst fired a hard shot in the 20th minute looking to give the Gamecocks the lead again, but the ball went straight to Bertele who recorded his lone save of the match.
Just before the half, Coastal freshman forward Kevin LeBras put a shot on goal which Beebe blocked. The Gamecock keeper could not keep possession and Carmago was able to push the ball past Beebe on the rebound. The score came in the 43rd minute and gave the Chanticleers a 2-1 lead at the break.
With the Gamecocks playing conservatively down a man, South Carolina did not see a lot of touches on their attacking half of the field for the remainder of the first half. As a result, the Chanticleers outshot South Carolina 10-3 in the first period and notched the only corner kick of half.
In the 58th minute, the Gamecocks were awarded a free kick at the top of the box. Sophomore midfielder Ryan Arambula took the shot and put it on goal, but Cook who started the second half in goal for Coastal went to his right, diving for the save.
Trying to equalize, sophomore forward Devin L’Amoreaux recorded a shot in the 79th minute, but the attempt was blocked by a Chanticleer defender.
Carmargo added the insurance goal, making the score 3-1, after junior defender Ridge Robinson touched the ball over to the midfielder in the box. Carmargo was able to turn on the ball to put a shot up in the upper corner of the goal over Velez.
The Gamecocks travel north for a two-game road trip, starting against No. 23/17 St. John’s on Friday, Sept. 13, at 8 p.m and ending with a trip to Piscataway, N.J., to face Rutgers. The Gamecocks and Scarlet Knights are set for a noon match on Sunday, Sept. 15. South Carolina returns to Stone Stadium for the annual Gamecock Classic on Friday, Sept. 20.
Season tickets for men’s soccer, which includes admission to all home games, are currently on sale in the Gamecock Ticket Office. Fans can purchase tickets online at GamecocksOnline.com, or by calling 1-800-4SC-FANS. Cost for season tickets for men’s soccer is $25 for adults and $10 for youth (17 and under).
