Men’s Soccer Opens 2026 Season Thursday at UNF

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – The 2026 South Carolina men’s soccer season officially kicks off Thursday night (Aug. 20), when the Gamecocks travel to UNF for a 6 p.m. kickoff. Carolina begins its sixth season under head coach Tony Annan and 49th season in program history.

It is the third straight official meeting between the two squads and the first time the Gamecocks have traveled to Jacksonville to face the Osprey.

South Carolina Gamecocks 0-0, 0-0 Sun Belt
Coach: Tony Annan | 6th Season – 33-40-13
Returning Goal Leader: 3 | Mika Habel and Alejandro Velazquez-Lopez
Returning Assist Leader: 2 | Three players
Returning Points Leader: 8 | Mika Habel and Alejandro Velazquez-Lopez
Returning Shots Leader: 31 | Alejandro Velazquez-Lopez
Returning Saves Leader: N/A

North Florida Osprey 0-0, 0-0 ASUN
Coach: Marlon Montanella | 1st Season
Series History: Tied 1-1-1
Trend: North Florida won 1
Last Meeting: North Florida 2, South Carolina 0 | Sept. 16, 2025 | Columbia, S.C.
Carolina Win Streak: 1, 2017
UNF Win Streak: 1, 2025-present

TAKING THE PITCH

• This will be the 4th meeting between the Gamecocks and Osprey.
• This is the first match in Jacksonville, as the previous three meetings took place in Columbia.
• The Gamecocks won the first meeting back in 2017, 1-0.
• The two sides played to a 2-2 draw in 2024.
• UNF earned the win at Stone Stadium last season 2-0.
• All-time, the Osprey have out-scored the Gamecocks 4-3.

QUICK NOTES

• This is the 49th season of South Carolina men’s soccer.
• The Gamecocks leads the nation in attendance for the fourth straight season (3,792).
• Eight of Carolina’s home matches rank in the top-30 for attendance in DI last season.
• The match between Carolina at Clemson was the third highest attended match in D1 (6,536).
• They are the first program to lead the NCAA in attendance four straight seasons since UC Santa Barbara led nine straight years (2007-2015).
• The Gamecocks have an all-time record of 544-301-89
• South Carolina is in its fifth season in the Sun Belt Conference.
• Carolina was picked to finish sixth in the conference by the coaches.
• The roster features many new faces from a season ago with 18 newcomers, nine transfers and nine true freshmen.
• They return four starters from a season ago, including Mika Habel who returned from an injury which forced him to miss most of 2024. Gabriel Nickerson is also back after missing the 2025 season due to injury.
  • In addition to Habel, the Gamecocks return: Isaiah Whittaker-Francis, Alejandro Velazquez-Lopez, and Yvan Malarte.
• Also returning is Matthew DeJianne who was named to the Sun Belt All-Freshman Team.
• Joining Carolina is Emil Seedorff, the 2025 Sun Belt Freshman of the Year.

Follow the team’s social media accounts on Twitter @GamecockMSoccer, Facebook /GamecockMSoccer, and Instagram @GamecockMSoccer.