Trimnal and Malarte Sweep Player of the Week Awards

NEW ORLEANS – The South Carolina men’s soccer team swept the Sun Belt Conference Player of the Week awards announced Tuesday (Sept. 9). Tyler Trimnal earned the Offensive award while Yvan Malarte won Defensive honors. The duo helped Carolina to a pair of wins on the week over FIU and Charlotte.

It’s the first time the Gamecocks swept Player of the Week honors since Sept. 25, 2017, when Luca Mayr and William Pyle did it when South Carolina was a member of Conference USA.

A forward, Trimnal helped Carolina earn a comeback win over FIU Tuesday, scoring his second career brace. The senior tied the match in the 48th minute with an assist from Ethan Ballek. He added the game-winner in the 82nd minute on another assist from Ballek. For the week he registered four shots, three on target, in 137 minutes on the pitch.

Malarte made his first appearances of the season after missing the start of the year due to injury. The defender played all 180 minutes in the wins, helping to stave on comeback attempts by the Panthers and 49ers. Against Charlotte on Friday, Malarte contributed on both of Carolina’s goals. In the 58th minute he headed home his first goal of the season on an assist from Alejandro Velazquez-Lopez. He would add his first career assist when he found Velazquez-Lopez for the game-winning goal in the 61st minute.

The Gamecocks return to the pitch tonight to take on Winthrop at 7 p.m.

For the latest on men’s soccer, visit GamecocksOnline.com or follow the team’s social media accounts on Twitter @GamecockMSoccer, Facebook /GamecockMSoccer, and Instagram @GamecockMSoccer.