The Pack snapped a two game winless streak by picking up a win over rival South Carolina, 1-0, Tuesday night at Dail Soccer Park.
The first half of the game was marked by physical play from both teams. Players from both teams received yellow cards during the first half, with Chrystel Bakong from State earning one at the 33rd minute mark and Sam Arthur of USC receiving one in the 15th minute.
This physical play was not lost on USC coach Mark Berson. He received a yellow card for excessively yelling at the referees at the 27th minute.
Leading scorer Ronnie Bouemboue said both teams had to put the calls behind them.
“Referees are here to do their job, so regardless of what happens on the field we have to keep our minds, we have to stay focused and play our game,” said Bouemboue.
The Pack stifled the USC offense in the first half, allowing only one shot on goal, a save from goalkeeper Christopher Widman at the 11th minute mark of the first half.
State’s offense was on the attack early in the contest. The first shot on goal came from Bouemboue within the first minute of the game. State had a total of six shots on goal during the first half.
Bouemboue also scored the contest’s only goal with 10.5 seconds remaining in the first half. Defender Korede Aiyegbusi and midfielder Alan Sanchez assisted the goal.
“I just told myself to relax a little bit before I hit it. All I had to do was relax and put it away,” said Bouemboue.
The penalty free-for-all continued into the second half. A yellow card was issued to Tyler Lassiter at the 30th minute of the half and Pack coach George Tarantini earned one of his own at the 26th. South Carolina also got in on the action, with the head referee issuing the bench a yellow card at the 5th minute.
Widman made the play of the game in that stanza, coming up with a save at the 19th minute of the half, and USC could not find another good scoring opportunity.
“I thought Widman played fantastic. He made two very good saves, but I mean very crucial saves. Defensive-wise it’s the best job we’ve [done] all year,” Tarantini said.
The Pack fell to Virginia Tech this weekend, 2-0. Midfielder Kris Byrd said the team benefitted from a more complete effort than it gave on the road.
“We were very organized and we finished strong. The main point that was different from Virginia Tech was that we never gave up,” Byrd said.
The Pack will play its next game against ACC opponent Boston College on Friday at 7 p.m. at Dail Soccer Stadium.
ALT:
The game against South Carolina was designated as the men’s soccer team’s Kay Yow Pink Game. This game was marked by an abundance of pink gear from both the players and the fans. The players wore pink t-shirts during warm-ups and pink armbands during the game. There was also a special exchange between class of ‘95 alumna Debbie Horwitz, a breast cancer survivor, and the team captains.
