No. 11 Men’s Soccer Continues Conference Play at No. 16 West Virginia

MORGANTOWN, W. Va. – The 11th ranked South Carolina men’s soccer team kicks off October when the Gamecocks travel to No. 16 West Virginia Saturday (Oct. 3) for a 7 p.m. match. The Gamecocks and  Mountaineers are tied atop the Sun Belt Conference standings with four points each.

#11 South Carolina Gamecocks 7-1-1, 1-0-1 Sun Belt
Coach: Tony Annan | 6th Season – 40-41-14
Goals Leader: 5 | Loïc Sany Kong
Assists Leader: 4 | Mika Habel and Angel Lopez
Points Leader: 11 | Loïc Sany Kong
Shots Leader: 25 | Loïc Sany Kong
Saves Leader: 26 | Noah Scheidweiler

#16 West Virginia Mountaineers 5-1-2, 1-0-1 Sun Belt
Coach: Dan Stratford | 7th Season
Series History: West Virginia leads 4-1-1
Trend: West Virginia win 4
Last Meeting: West Virginia 2, South Carolina 1 | Nov. 4, 2025 | Columbia
Carolina Win Streak: 1, 1982
WVU Win Streak: 4, 2023-present

TAKING THE PITCH

• This will be the 7th meeting all-time between the Gamecocks and Mountaineers.
• Prior to joining the Sun Belt in 2022, the two sides had only met once before, in 1982.
  • Carolina won that match 2-1 in overtime in Columbia.
• The lone tie of the series came in their first Sun Belt meeting, a 0-0 draw, during a heavy downpour in Morgantown.
• All-time in Morgantown, the Gamecocks are 0-1-1.
• All-time, the WVU have outscored Carolina 9-5.

QUICK NOTES

• This is the 49th season of South Carolina men’s soccer.
• The second NCAA RPI was released Monday and the Gamecocks still sit at No. 1.
• South Carolina enters the week No. 11 in the United Soccer Coaches poll, No. 11 by Top Drawer Soccer, and No. 5 by College Soccer News.
• Last week they were the unanimous No. 1 in the coaches poll, receiving all eight first place votes.
  • It was first time in program history the Gamecocks have been ranked No. 1 in the coaches poll.
  • Their previous high was No. 2 in the final poll of the 1987 season.
• The Gamecocks were the last remaining team in DI to be unbeaten and untied.
  • Carolina had its undefeated streak end at 7-0 with a loss to the College of Charleston.
  • It was the fourth time in program history starting the season 7-0 and the first since 2003.
  • It’s the 10th time in program history starting the season 7-1-1 or better.
• The Gamecocks have four wins over ranked opponents, the most in the nation.
  • It’s the most since also earning four ranked wins in 2015. They also had four in 1996.
• Carolina once again leads the nation in home attendance averaging 4,480.
• The Gamecocks has the largest attended match in program history August 28 against Clemson, 7,671, smashing the previous mark of 6,892.
• Carolina’s home opener saw 5,489 fans pack Stone Stadium, the 10th largest crowd in program history.
• Three home matches rank in the top-10 highest attended games in DI this year.
• Mika Habel was named the Sun Belt Defensive Player of the Week on Sept. 15.
• The Gamecocks moved to 5-0 for the first time since 2003 with the win vs #14 High Point.
• 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 13th in the nation in goal differential (12).
  • As a team, they also rank 16th in assists per game, 14th in total assists, 17th in points per game, 17th in total points, 21st in scoring offense and 22nd in total goals.
  • Mika Habel and Angel Lopez rank 36th in total assists (4).
  • Alejandro Velazquez-Lopez and Loïc Sany Kong are tied for 18th 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.
• Loïc Sany Kong was named the Sun Belt Offensive Player of the Week for his performance in the win over North Florida.
• 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 551-302-89.