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Gamecocks Drop Thrilling NCAA Tournament Match to Wake Forest on Penalty Kicks
COLUMBIA,
S.C. -- The 23rd-ranked South Carolina men's soccer team and Wake
Forest played to a 1-1 tie through two overtimes before the Demon
Deacons claimed the thrilling match, 4-3, on penalty kicks on Thursday
night in the first round of the NCAA Tournament at Stone Stadium.
With
the victory, Wake Forest (8-7-5) advances to the second round to face
14th-seeded James Madison. The Gamecocks' (9-7-3) season comes to an
end with the loss.
Wake Forest's Teddy Mullin made the eventual
match-winning penalty kick after the teams were deadlocked at 3-3 after
going through five kicks each. South Carolina sophomore J.P. Rafferty
missed the ensuing attempt off the right post, sending the Demon
Deacons onto the field in celebration.
However, the referee
ruled Wake Forest goalkeeper Michael Lisch left early, giving Rafferty
another opportunity. But this time Lisch made up for his mistake by
knocking Rafferty's attempt over the net to seal the win.
It was
South Carolina keeper Alex Long coming up with the big save early in
the match, as Wake Forest's Andy Lubahn fired a shot from 10 yards out
that Long knocked away in the fifth minute to keep things scoreless.
But
Wake Forest grabbed a 1-nil lead in the 10th minute, as Ross Tomaselli
finished off a cross from Sean Okoli off the lower left post.
The
Gamecocks missed on a scoring opportunity late in the first half.
Rafferty fired a shot in the 41st minute from the top of the box, but
Lisch made a diving save to preserve the 1-0 lead heading into the
locker room.
Carolina knotted things at 1-1 in the 50th minute
on a penalty kick by sophomore Chipper Root, as he placed the ball in
the lower right corner for the equalizer.
Lubahn split the Gamecock defense and missed off the cross bar in the 82nd minute.
Bradlee
Baladez seemed to give the Gamecocks the lead with less than seven
minutes remaining as he broke free in the box for a goal, but South
Carolina was called for a foul, negating the goal and sending the match
into overtime.
The teams traded shots in the overtime sessions to force the match into penalty kicks, where Wake Forest advanced.
South
Carolina held a 17-16 advantage in shots, including a 7-6 edge in shots
on goal. Long finished the night with five saves, while Lisch tallied
six for Wake Forest.
Penalty Kick Order
WF
20 Danny Wenzel - made
11 Luca Gimenez - made
21 Ben Newnam - missed
29 Sean Randolph - made
12 Kovi Konowiecki - missed
10 Teddy Mullin - made
SC
7 Eric Martinez - made
10 Bradlee Baladez - made
5 Stephen Morrissey - missed
13 Braeden Troyer - made
4 Mike Mangotic - missed
23 J.P. Rafferty - missed
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