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No. 15 South Carolina Men's Soccer Ties Elon In Exhibition Contest
COLUMBIA, S.C. - The
15th ranked Gamecock men's soccer team posted a 1-1 tie with Elon in
exhibition action at Stone Stadium on Saturday evening. After Elon held
a 1-0 lead at the half, senior midfielder Stephen Morrissey scored for
Carolina in the 54th minute on an assist from sophomore forward Bradlee
Baladez to even the match in the second half.
Carolina held an
11-10 overall advantage in shots, including a 10-5 upperhand in the
second half. Morrissey, sophomore forward Chipper Root and freshman
forward Snoopy Davidson each registered two shots for Carolina in the
match. Leading Elon offensively was midfielder Daniel Lovitz with four
shots and one assist, while junior forward Jordan Smith contributed two
shots, including the first-half Phoenix goal.
Defensively for
the Gamecocks, redshirt-sophomore goalkeeper Alex Long earned his
first-career start in net. He collected one save in the match, playing
the entire 90 minutes. Elon counterparts Reed Dillard and Nathan Dean
each played one half in goal, with Dillard collecting one save, and
Dean three saves, while allowing one goal.
Both team's had their
offensive chances in the opening half and both team's played with an
offensive mind, as the Gamecocks drew four offsides calls in the match
and Elon five. Baladez had Carolina's lone shot of the opening half at
the five-minute mark. The sophomore hit a bullet towards the far post,
but Dillard held his line for the save.
Back and forth play
followed before Elon was the first to mark the scoreboard in the 42nd
minute. Lovitz took a ball down the left sideline and hit a cross into
the six-yard box to Smith who hit a one-touch shot, which hit the
crossbar before bouncing in for the Elon goal.
The score held
through halftime and nearly 10 minutes into the second half before
Morrissey scored the equalizer. Baladez hit a corner kick towards the
near post on target and Morrissey redirected the cross with a header
past Dean for the goal.
Due to the contest being an exhibition, the teams did not play any overtime and the score ended in a 1-1 tie.
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