Men's Soccer . September 17, 2026

No. 4 Gamecocks Open Conference Play Friday at No. 13 ODU

NORFOLK, Va. – The 4th ranked South Carolina men’s soccer team opens Sun Belt Conference play Friday (Sept. 18), when the Gamecocks travel to No. 13 Old Dominion for a 7 p.m. match. Carolina and ODU are the only two remining undefeated and untied teams in Division I. It’s also the fourth top-25 matchup for the Gamecocks this season.

Sun Belt Opener

#4 South Carolina Gamecocks (6-0, 0-0)

#13 Old Dominion Monarchs (7-0, 0-0)

Sep 18, 2026 | 7:00 pm Norfolk, Va. | ODU Soccer Stadium

TV: ESPN+

ONLINE:

#13 Old Dominion Monarchs 7-0-0, 0-0 Sun Belt
Coach: Tennant McVea | 3rd Season
Series History: Old Dominion leads 10-7-2
Trend: Tied 1
Last Meeting: South Carolina 1, ODU 1 | Oct. 10, 2025 | Columbia, S.C.
Carolina Win Streak: 2, twice
UNCG Win Streak: 3, 2017-2019

TAKING THE PITCH

This will be the 20th meeting all-time between the Gamecocks and Monarchs.
Last season was only the second tie in the all-time series.
The Gamecocks won the previous two meetings in 2023 and 2024.
The two sides have met every year since 2013 as both were members of C-USA previously.
ODU won the first meeting 1-0 on Sept. 4, 1983 in Norfolk.
All-time in Norfolk, the Gamecocks are 2-6-1.
All-time, the Monarchs have out-scored the Gamecocks 28-25.

QUICK NOTES

This is the 49th season of South Carolina men’s soccer.
The Gamecocks are one of two teams in DI to currently be at least 6-0 on the season and one of two teams to be unbeaten and untied, with Old Dominion the other.
It’s the sixth time in program history starting the season 6-0.
Carolina began the 2003 season 7-0; 2002 & 1986 – 6-0; 1978 – 7-0; 1985 – 13-0.
Carolina once again leads the nation in home attendance averaging 5,175
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.
Three home matches rank in the top-7 highest attended games in DI this year.
South Carolina enters the week No. 4 in the United Soccer Coaches poll, No. 1 by Top Drawer Soccer, and No. 7 by College Soccer News.
It’s the highest the Gamecocks have been ranked in the coaches poll since they were ranked 3rd on Sept. 23, 2002.
Mika Habel was named the Sun Belt Defensive Player of the Week on Sept. 15.
It’s his second career DPOW honor. His defense helped Carolina’s backline keep two clean sheets on the week and the first back-to-back shutouts in over a year.
He was also responsible for two of Carolina’s three goals on the week.
The Gamecocks moved to 5-0 for the first time since 2003 with the win vs #14 High Point.
The three straight victories over ranked opponents is the first for Carolina since defeating #5 SMU, #25 Tulsa, and #24 Duke in 2010.
After the win over #14 HPU, Carolina became the only team in the country to take down three ranked opponents this season.
Yvan Malarte scored 1:05 into the match against Charlotte, the fastest Carolina goal since at least 2005. (Goal records are incomplete prior to 2005).
The Gamecocks win over #16 Clemson marked their first 3-0 start since 2014.
It was their first win over the Tigers also since 2014.
Through six matches, the Gamecocks rank 8th in the nation in goal differential (12).
As a team, they also rank 14th in assists per game, 15th in total assists, 14th in points per game, 13th in total points, 16th in scoring offense and 18th in total goals.
Mika Habel ranks 10th in total assists (4) and 15th in assists per game.
Alejandro Velazquez-Lopez is tied for 8th in game-winning goals (2).
Alejandro Velazquez-Lopez was named the Sun Belt Offensive Player of the Week on Sept. 1 for his play in wins over Clemson and USC Upstate.
He had three goals and an assist along with his first career back-to-back multi-point games.
He notched his first multi-goal game of his career to open the week against USC Upstate, both of which came in the first half.
He also helped Carolina take a lead at halftime against Clemson by assisting on Angel Lopez’s goal in the 24th minute and then score the game-winner in the 49th minute when he converted on a penalty kick.
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.
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 550-301-89.