|
Gamecocks Earn 1-0 Win At UAB
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. - The
South Carolina men's soccer team (5-4-1, 3-0-0 Conference USA) earned a
1-0 win on the road at UAB (5-3-2, 0-1-0 Conference USA) on Tuesday
night in Conference USA action from West Campus Field in Birmingham,
Ala. The win, Carolina's fourth straight overall, is also the
Gamecocks' third-consecutive win to start the C-USA season. It marks
the best start to a conference season for the squad since the 2005
campaign, Carolina's first in the league.
"This was a very good
win, on the road, in the conference against an excellent UAB team,"
South Carolina head coach Mark Berson said. "I'm very proud of our
guys. We knew that we would be an improved team in October over where
we were in September and our team has proven this to be the case. We
played well in many aspects of the game tonight and to get a shutout on
the road in league play and our fourth-straight win shows the direction
in which this team is moving. I'm very proud of our players. Everyone
did a great job."
Sophomore forward Bradlee Baladez netted the game winner for South Carolina on an unassisted tally in the sixth minute of play.
UAB
held a slight 10-9 advantage in overall shots, but Carolina held a 5-0
upperhand in shots on goal. Baladez, and junior forward Mike Mangotic
each registered two shots on goal in the match for Carolina. Mladen
Lemez led the Blazers with three shots, while Babayele Sodade, Alex
Clay and Diego Navarrette each posted two.
Gamecock netminder
Alex Long earned the first shutout of his career in the win. Long did
not register a save in the match, however the Gamecock defense held the
Blazers scoreless on 10 shots and 14 corner kicks. UAB goalkeeper Carl
Woszczynski tallied four saves.
Baladez gave South Carolina the
early lead in the sixth minute on an unassisted score on a volley into
the upper right corner of frame. The Dallas, Texas, native hit a
one-time shot past Woszczynski off a deflection from a UAB defender for
the deciding 1-0 Carolina lead.
Woszczynski would register a save on
a shot by Mangotic just two minutes later, and the Blazers posted five
shots and seven corner kick opportunities during the remainder of the
half, but the 1-0 score held at halftime.
Freshman midfielder
Braeden Troyer nearly pushed the Gamecock lead to 2-0 in the 53rd
minute on a shot that hit the post and sophomore defender Trevor
Hubbard hit an attempt on frame that was saved by Woszczynski just two
minutes later.
UAB registered two shots in the final 15 minutes
of play, including an attempt wide by Clay in the 89th minute, but the
Gamecocks were able to close the 1-0 road victory.
|
