Oct. 21, 2006
COLUMBIA, S.C. (www.ucfathletics.com) - Senior Ayo Akinsete recorded a goal and an assist to lead No. 16 South Carolina to a 2-1 win over visiting UCF in Conference USA men's soccer action on Saturday night.
The victory improved the Gamecocks record to 11-3-1 overall and 4-2-1 in conference play, while the Golden Knights dropped to 3-8-2 overall and 1-3-2 in C-USA.
USC opened scoring in the 15th minute when senior Mike Sambursky sent a shot from 23 yards into the lower left corner of the net. He was assisted by Akinsete and sophomore Spencer Lewis.
UCF sophomore Zak Boggs (Vienna, W.Va./The Pendleton School) evened the score in the 38th minute. Boggs took advantage of a misplayed ball by the South Carolina defense and went one-on-one with sophomore goalkeeper Mike Gustavson. His shot found the lower right corner of the net.
Going into intermission, South Carolina held the 5-4 advantage in shots, but three of UCF's four attempts were on goal. The Gamecocks scored on their only shot that hit the mark.
In the second half, UCF held the hosts without a shot until the 60th minute. In the 79th minute, Akinsete scored into the lower right corner from 18 yards. Senior Ralph Pace had the lone assist.
Although South Carolina finished the night with a 10-9 margin in shots, Gustavson made six saves and UCF junior goalkeeper Brian Pope (Durham, N.H./Oyster River HS) had none.
"Tonight was a very tough match," said UCF head coach Brent Erwin. "Both teams played hard in the midfield and neither created a lot of really good chances. The credit goes to South Carolina for taking advantage of the lucky bounce. I don't think that we played our best game tonight and I take full responsibility for that. Our players have played well all year and we will once again be prepared to play on Wednesday."
Next up, UCF plays host to Florida International on Wednesday, Oct. 25 at 7 p.m. and Stetson on Saturday, Oct. 28 at 1 p.m. The Golden Knights have also rescheduled their match against Marshall for Monday, Oct. 30 at 1 p.m. in Tulsa, Okla. prior to the tournament.
Admission to home UCF men's soccer matches for the 2006 season is free courtesy of McDonald's. For the latest news and information on the Golden Knights, tickets or apparel log on to www.ucfathletics.com - the official site for UCF athletics.