The University of North Florida men’s soccer team traveled to Columbia, S.C. and took down South Carolina on Tuesday night by a final score of 2-0. While the Gamecocks had more shots, it was the Ospreys who were able to capitalize on their chances, thanks to the sharpshooting efforts of sophomore forward Kaiss Mansouri and senior forward Luc Granitur. UNF now boasts a 4-3 record on the season.
First Half
The game got off to a slow start, with neither team creating any meaningful chances. This quickly changed in the 25th minute, when Mansouri received a pass from junior defender Paul Schacherer in a wide area. Mansouri tried his luck from a tight angle and was able to squeeze the ball past the Gamecocks’ goalkeeper Filip Versterre, after a deflection off a South Carolina defender. The goal was Mansouri’s second of the season.
The Gamecocks attempted to respond with consecutive shots from forward Loic Sany Kong and midfielder Ethan Ballek, both of which were blocked by the UNF defense. South Carolina finally managed to get their first shot on target in the 44th minute, when senior defender Jaylen Yearwood accidentally placed a pass right into the feet of Sany Kong. He quickly turned around and took a low driven shot that senior goalkeeper Luciano Natoli saved with a dive to his left.
Second Half
South Carolina came out stronger in the second half. In the 53rd minute, Balleck put a shot on target that Natoli saved. Ballek continued to pose a threat with another shot in the 61st minute that rattled off the post.
South Carolina continued to mount offensive pressure. In the 63rd minute, midfielder Samy Kolby received a pass and whipped in a cross. Senior Osprey defender Alex Barnett rose to head it away, but Ballek quickly recovered it and pulled a shot just wide of the goalpost.
In the 69th minute, UNF doubled its lead. Freshman forward Ricardo Ferreira slid a pass over to senior forward Rentaro Miyakawa, who then found Granitur just inside the penalty area. Granitur took a shot with his left foot that ricocheted off of Versterre’s glove and bounced into the net for his third goal of the season.
The Gamecocks’ last gasp came in the 84th minute, with back-to-back shots from midfielder Alejandro Velazquez-Lopez and forward Tyler Trimnal. Neither of these attempts bothered Natoli, as they were both blocked before they could be steered goalward.
With the win, UNF snaps South Carolina’s four-game winning streak and extends their own winning streak to three games.
Up Next
The Ospreys travel to Macon, Ga., to face off against Mercer on Saturday, Sept. 20, to close out their three-game road trip. Kick off is scheduled for 7 p.m
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