Gamecocks Handed First Loss At No. 5 Clemson, 4-1
Sept. 1, 2017
Men’s Soccer at No. 5 Clemson
CLEMSON, S.C. — South Carolina (2-1-0) was handed its first loss of the 2017 season on Friday night by No. 5 Clemson (3-0-0), 4-1. Sophomore Luca Mayr tallied the lone sore for the Gamecocks and senior Christoffer Wallander Ianev record his first assist of the season on the play.
The Tigers scored early in the match to go in front 1-0 on an own goal in the 11th minute. The score was setup on a corner kick into the box by Diego Campos. Clemson was aggressive on offense, tallying five shots in the game’s first 20 minutes.
The Gamecocks responded in the 25th minute with a quick strike goal by Mayr to tie it up 1-1. Wallander Ianev was able to get wide on the near side of the field, feeding a perfect pass into Mayr. He dribbled towards the out of bounds mark and fired one in far post for the score.
Clemson was able to retake the lead shortly after and swing momentum back in their favor. Jason Wright bended a shot on goal from just outside the 18. Goalkeeper William Pyle dove to his left and the ball went just past his outstretched fingertips for the score. The Tigers took a 2-1 lead into the break.
The Tigers broke the game open in the 66th minute when Patrick Bunk-Anderson headed in a corner kick on a set piece play. They scored another goal late, as the Gamecock offense was unable to get anything going in the second half.
QUOTABLE
“Well, we started with an own goal — that kind of set the tone for the evening. We came back and scored. I thought that was really good. We showed a lot of fight and determination to do that. Then giving up the other goal was tough. The second half we just didn’t play to our capabilities. Hats off to Clemson. They did a good job. We have a lot of work to do to get better. Tonight was disappointing, but you always learn a lot from good, tough matches.” — South Carolina men’s soccer head coach Mark Berson
GAMECHANGER
Clemson did a good job controlling possession for a majority of the match, limiting the Gamecocks’ chances.
KEY STAT
Carolina was out-shot 22-3 by the Tigers, who also held a 10-2 advantage in shots on goal and a 8-3 edge in corners.
NOTABLE
- Christoffer Wallander Ianev tallied his first assist of the season on the team’s lone goal of the match.
- Luca Mayr tallied his second score of the season. He now has seven points (2G, 3A) on the year. He’s tied for the Conference USA lead in assist and ranks second in points through three games.
- Goalkeeper William Pyle finished with a season-high six saves.
- Junior defender Andre Streete got his first start of the season Friday night. He played all 90 minutes in the match.
- 5,610 fans attended the annual game between the instate rivals at Riggs Field.
UP NEXT
South Carolina heads back to Columbia for a pair of home matches next week. The Gamecocks will square off with North Florida Tuesday night at 7 p.m., then face FAU in the C-USA opener Saturday night. The Owls are led by former assistant coach Joey Worthen.
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