No. 13 Men’s Soccer Travels to No. 25 Charlotte Thursday

CHARLOTTE, N.C. – The 13th ranked South Carolina men’s makes the quick trip north to the Queen City Thursday (Sept. 3), when the Gamecocks travel to No. 25 Charlotte for a 7 p.m. match. It’s the first time Carolina has traveled to Charlotte since 2021.

#13 South Carolina Gamecocks 3-0, 0-0 Sun Belt
Coach: Tony Annan | 6th Season – 36-40-13
Goals Leader: 3 | Three players tied
Assists Leader: 3 | Mika Habel
Points Leader: 8 | Alejandro Velazquez-Lopez and Angel Lopez
Shots Leader: 9 | Loïc Sany Kong
Saves Leader: 6 | Noah Scheidweiler

#25 Charlotte 49ers 1-0-2, 0-0 AAC
Coach: Kevin Langan | 15th Season
Series History: South Carolina leads 16-12-4
Trend: South Carolina won 1
Last Meeting: South Carolina 2, Charlotte 1 | Sept. 5, 2025 | Columbia
Carolina Win Streak: 4, two times
Charlotte Win Streak: 4, 2018-2021

TAKING THE PITCH

• This will be the 33rd meeting all-time between the Gamecocks and 49ers.
• This is the first meeting with both teams ranked since 2016, when Charlotte was #8 and Carolina was #25. The 49ers won the match 2-1 in Columbia.
• In Charlotte, the Gamecocks lead the series 9-4-2.
• Carolina won their meeting last season 2-1 in Columbia on Alejandro Velazquez-Lopez’s goal in the 61st minute.
• The two sides played to a 1-1 draw in their first meeting on September 1, 1982.
• All-time, the Gamecocks have out-scored the 49ers 46-45.

QUICK NOTES

• This is the 49th season of South Carolina men’s soccer.
• Carolina’s home opener saw 5,489 fans pack Stone Stadium, the 10th largest crowd in program history.
• The Gamecocks topped that with the largest attended match in program history August 28 against Clemson, 7,671, smashing the previous mark of 6,892.
• South Carolina enters the week No. 13 in the United Soccer Coaches poll, No. 5 by Top Drawer Soccer, and No. 20 by College Soccer News.
• It’s the first time the Gamecocks are ranked in the coaches poll since Oct. 25, 2016, when they were No. 25.
• The No. 13 coaches poll ranking is their highest since finishing the 2010 season at No. 10.
  • It’s their highest in-season coaches poll ranking since being No. 11 on Oct. 10, 2006.
• The Gamecocks improved to 3-0 on the season with the win over #16 Clemson, marking their first 3-0 start since 2014.
  • It was their first win over the Tigers also since 2014.
• The Gamecocks look to improve to 4-0 for the first time since 2004.
• Through three matches, the Gamecocks rank 10th in the nation in goal differential (8).
  • As a team, they also rank sixth in total goals and points per game, seventh in scoring offense and assists per game, eighth in total points and ninth in total assists.
  • Mika Habel ranks seventh in total assists (3).
  • Angel Lopez and Alejandro Velazquez-Lopez are tied for eight in total points (8)
• Carolina earned the win Monday night in a 4-0 victory over USC Upstate.
  • The Gamecocks played a man-up for the final 59 minutes of the match.
  • They scored 15 seconds into the second half on a goal by Loïc Sany Kong.
  • Alejandro Velazquez-Lopez tallied two goals in the victory, including a penalty kick.
  • Mika Habel scored his first goal of the season and added an assist.
  • Hugo Febles made his first collegiate appearance and tallied two assists.
• Sany Kong was named the Sun Belt Offensive Player of the Week for his performance in the win over North Florida.
• Sany Kong tallied five points, two goals and an assist, on opening night. It was his first career multi-goal and multi-point game.
• Angel Lopez scored a goal and added an assist in the season opener, the third of his career.
• As a team, the Gamecocks tallied 12 points in the opening win over UNF, the most points in a game since having 13 against USC Upstate on Sept. 10, 2024.
• South Carolina is in its fifth season in the Sun Belt Conference.
• Carolina led the nation in attendance in 2025 for the fourth straight season (3,792).
• 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 546-301-89.