Banahan Scores Twice In Second Half To Lead Gamecocks To Draw Against Duke
Carolina opens exhibition portion of schedule with draw against nationally-ranked foe
DURHAM, N.C. —- Freshman Brian Banahan scored two second half goals to help lead South Carolina men’s soccer to a 2-2 tie at No. 10 Duke in its opening exhibition match of the 2019 season Saturday at Koskinen Stadium.
Duke’s Daniel Wright scored two opening half goals to give the Blue Devils a 2-0 lead at halftime before Carolina returned to the pitch with a renewed energy and pace in the second period to earn the hard-fought tie.
In total, 23 different Gamecocks recorded minutes in the first action of the year.
“Duke is a really good opponent and that’s what we wanted for this group,” head coach Mark Berson said. “I thought the fact that we came back and scored two and had a couple other really good chances in a game that was end-to-end was good and showed a lot of character on the part of our guys. I think overall for us, coming back on the road against a nationally ranked team to earn a draw is a good result. There’s a lot of things we can build on as we move forward.”
After a slow start in a first half that included a weather delay, Banahan opened the second period with a goal off a CJ Mitchell-Smith assist in the 57th minute to cut the Blue Devil lead in half at 2-1.
Banahan needed only nine more minutes of action to tie the match at 2-2 with a finish at the 66-minute mark.
Nick Brady and Ryan Bilichuk both had two saves in goal as Bilichuk posted a clean sheet in 30 minutes of action.
Banahan led the Gamecocks with three shots on goal while fellow freshman Logan Frost posted one, as well. Mitchell-Smith had the lone Carolina assist on the evening.
As is the case with all friendlies, the match will not count toward season statistics nor records.
The Gamecocks will play host to Wofford next Wednesday at 5:00 p.m. ET in its second exhibition of the year before its final friendly next Sunday at UNC Wilmington at 2:00 p.m. ET.
The regular season opens Aug. 30 at Clemson while the home opener is set for Sept. 3 against Gardner-Webb.
Once again, fans can get the best deal in town for season tickets. Tickets are $25 for adults and $10 for youth and get you into ALL 20 soccer matches at Stone Stadium this fall. To purchase, visit gamecocksonline.com/soccertix.
For more information on the Gamecocks, continue to check back with gamecocksonline.com. Subscribe to South Carolina on Stanza to get schedule updates directly in your calendars.
SCORING RECAP
Daniel Wright, Duke – (24′)
Daniel Wright, Duke – (35′)
Brian Banahan, Carolina – (57′)
Brian Banahan, Carolina – (66′)
ASSISTS RECAP
Daneil Proch, Duke (’24)
Aedan Stanley, Duke (’30)
Daniel Proch, Duke (’30)
CJ Mitchell-Smith, Carolina (’57)
