Sept. 3, 2014

Final Stats | Photo Gallery | Printable Final Stats

COLUMBIA, S.C. – South Carolina (2-0-0) overcame a man and goal deficit with two minutes to play to tie the game against No. 25/18 Clemson (1-1-0) before sophomore Koty Millard clinched it with the Gamecocks’ second golden goal of the season in the 103rd minute, handing SC the 2-1 win over its archrival at Stone Stadium on Tuesday night in front of 3,555 fans.

Millard took a pass from redshirt freshman forward Mikkel Knudsen and shot it right through the Clemson goalkeeper from close range in the second overtime to end the contest. Junior defender Reid Grayson also tallied an assist after getting Knudsen the ball before his pass to the breaking Millard.

The Gamecocks swung the momentum in the last 10 minutes of regulation, putting pressure on Clemson’s defense. In the 82nd minute, Clemson’s Ara Amirkhanian drew his second caution of the match, sending him off after the Gamecocks’ had played the previous 24 minutes down a man when junior Ryan Arambula drew his second yellow in the 58th. With three minutes left to play, SC sophomore forward Eli Dent had his shot deflect off a Clemson defender’s hand inside the 18, setting up a penalty kick that Knudsen sent into the net to knot the score at 1-1.

Arambula’s second caution in a 14-minute span gave the Tigers the advantage for a while, and they used it wisely, shooting high-quality looks that the Gamecock defense kept turning away. In the 66th, Gamecock sophomore goalkeeper Marco Velez stopped two point-blank shots to keep the match scoreless. But two minutes later, a Clemson attacker had a ball near the end line inside the box, and a Gamecock defender trying to take the ball away was whistled for a foul, putting the Tigers on the penalty spot. Amirkhanian took the shot and got it past Velez to give Clemson the 1-0 lead in the 68th.

The contest, delayed by 1:39 due to thunderstorms in the Columbia area, had a number of fouls and a total of seven cards distributed, five to Clemson and two to South Carolina.

Game Changer:
The Gamecocks made three substitutions with 11 minutes remaining in regulation, and the fresher Knudsen, Millard and junior Jeffrey Torda helped South Carolina turn the tide late in the contest.

Key Stat:
Marco Velez made five stops on the night, all in the second period when Clemson outshot the Gamecocks 12-3.

Notables:

• South Carolina tallied its fourth-consecutive home win over Clemson, their ninth win all-time at The Graveyard in history.
• Clemson had a 24-7 shot advantage in the match, including a 22-6 lead in regulation and taking the only two shots in the first overtime.
• Sophomore midfielder Koty Millard’s game-winner ranks as his first collegiate goal.
• Clemson’s Thales Moreno posted six shots, with one coming on frame.
• The Tigers held a 9-0 advantage in corner kicks.
• In total, 29 fouls were called, 15 on Clemson. That total includes the five cautions.
• South Carolina wins its third-straight contest against a ranked foe (No. 10 UAB & No. 25 New Mexico in 2013).
• The Gamecocks start a season with a 2-0 record for the first time since 2009 and the 18th time overall.
• It’s the first time that South Carolina has taken back-to-back wins in double overtime.

Tweet of the Game:

Witnessed yet another OT win by @GamecockMSoccer tonight!! Amazing support from #Gamecocks fans, too! #BeatClemson pic.twitter.com/N0er62mLRh

— Joy Mondalto (@sajoymarie) September 3, 2014

Quotable:
South Carolina sophomore midfielder Koty Millard
On his golden goal
Mikkel (Knudsen) gets the credit. He fed me a great ball.

Up Next:
South Carolina hosts Mercer on Sunday night at 7 p.m. at Stone Stadium, the third match of the four-game homestand to start 2014.