Men's Soccer Falls to South Carolina

Monday, August 24

Columbia, S.C.

7:00 PM

University of South Carolina Upstate Athletics

0-2-0, 0-0-0

South Carolina

2-0-0, 0-0-0

Team	1	2	Final F
USC Upstate	0	0	0
South Carolina	2	2	4

8/24/2026 9:26:00 PM | Men's Soccer

Box Score

COLUMBIA, S.C. – USC Upstate men's soccer falls 4-0 to South Carolina at Stone Stadium Monday evening.

The Spartans held the Gamecocks off the scoreboard for more than 37 minutes before a pair of late first-half goals gave South Carolina a 2-0 advantage heading into halftime. South Carolina added two more early in the second half to secure the victory.

Upstate goalkeeper Jarrett Wuerslin played all 90 minutes between the posts, making two saves against a South Carolina attack that finished with 19 shots. The Spartans recorded two shots, both coming during the second half, and earned three corner kicks.

HOW IT HAPPENED

The Spartans' defense withstood pressure from South Carolina throughout the opening stages. Wuerslin came up with his first save of the night in the 32nd minute, denying Gabriel Nickerson to keep the match scoreless.

South Carolina eventually broke through in the 38th minute. Alejandro Velazquez-Lopez found the back of the net off an assist from Angel Lopez at the 37:16 mark, putting the Gamecocks ahead 1-0.

The complexion of the match changed in the final minutes of the opening half. Upstate defender Matiwos Rumley was shown a red card at 43:59, leaving the Spartans to play down a man. On the ensuing penalty kick, Velazquez-Lopez converted his second goal of the night to send South Carolina into the break with a 2-0 advantage.

Playing with 10 men, Upstate faced another quick challenge coming out of halftime as Loic Sany Kong scored just 15 seconds into the second period. Mika Habel and Hugo Febles combined on the assists to extend South Carolina's lead to 3-0.

The Spartans generated their first shot of the match in the 50th minute when Luke Marin sent an attempt high and to the right. South Carolina added its fourth and final goal at 53:04, with Habel scoring off an assist from Febles.

Despite playing a man down, Upstate prevented the Gamecocks from adding to their lead over the final 36-plus minutes. Wuerslin recorded another save in the 77th minute, stopping an attempt from Emil Seedorff.

Logan Grasso provided Upstate's final offensive chance in the 89th minute, sending a shot wide right.

NOTABLES

Wuerslin played the full 90 minutes and finished with two saves.
Marin and Grasso accounted for Upstate's two shots, both coming in the second half.
The Spartans earned three corner kicks compared with five for South Carolina.
Upstate committed 11 fouls, while South Carolina was whistled for nine.
The Spartans were shown two yellow cards and one red card.
South Carolina finished with a 19-2 advantage in shots and put six attempts on goal.
Upstate held South Carolina scoreless over the final 36:56 of the match despite playing with 10 men.
Sunday's match was played in front of 5,489 fans at Stone Stadium.

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