Aug. 23, 2015
COLUMBIA, S.C. – South Carolina used two goals from junior Kurtis Turner to claim a 2-1 win over Furman at Stone Stadium on Sunday afternoon in the final exhibition prior to the 2015 season.
In the 77th minute, play took Furman’s goalkeeper out of net, and junior Ive Burnett crossed it to Turner, who was 10 yards from goal. Turner put the shot past a defender on the goal line to put the Gamecocks ahead for good 2-1.
Beautiful passing led to Turner’s first goal in the 36th minute. The long lead from senior Wesley Eads found senior Devin L’Amoreaux in the far corner, who crossed it into the box for Turner. He sent the ball into the net from the six to start the scoring.
After a long break due to lightning in the area, Furman came out determined to level things in the second half. Ten minutes in, they did on Marco Carrizales’ penalty kick that came after Evan De Ycaza went down with contact inside the 18-yard box after his shot went wide. Carrizales’ shot hit the post and bounced in the net to even the match at 1-1.
Game Changer:
Turner’s second goal stopped the momentum Furman built earlier in the second half.
Key Stat:
South Carolina made three saves on the day, including one team save in a scramble in the 17th minute.
Notables:
• Turner had three of South Carolina’s six shots, putting both goals on the board for the Gamecocks.
• Furman outshot the Gamecocks 11-6, including an 8-2 lead in the second half.
• The Paladins also took five corner kicks in the second half compared to one for South Carolina.
• Freshman Peyton Ericson logged significant time during the contest, playing in the midfield and at defender.
• Rain shortened the exhibition by almost seven minutes of field play, as action was delayed by over an hour due to lightning and rain in the area.
Tweet of the Game:
Currently sitting in my car waiting on the rain to pass so I can go back in Stone Stadium to finish watching @GamecockMSoccer play!!!
— Allen Marcus Harter (@AllenMHarter) August 23, 2015
Quotable:
Head coach Mark Berson
That was good for us (to get a win) at this point in the season. We’ve able to look at a number of players in different situations. To come away with a win was a good thing for us. It’s a good solid result against a really good Furman team.
Up Next:
South Carolina opens its regular season on Friday night against another Southern Conference foe, Mercer. Kickoff is set for 7 p.m. at Stone Stadium, with the match showing live on SEC Network + on WatchESPN.
