Nov. 1, 2011
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By Doug Richards
UCFAthletics.com
ORLANDO, Fla. (UCFAthletics.com) - No. 25 South Carolina scored with under a minute remaining in the second overtime period to escape with a 1-0 Conference USA victory over the No. 16 UCF men's soccer team Tuesday at the UCF Soccer Complex. After UCF (9-3-4, 3-3-1 C-USA) was unable to clear the ball after a South Carolina corner, Eric Martinez scored the game-winning goal from 10 yards out with only 59 seconds on the clock.
The win was the fifth in the six matches for the Gamecocks, who improved to 9-6-1 overall and 6-1-0 in league play.
"We had our chances in overtime," UCF head coach Bryan Cunningham said. "They really had one good chance there and they put it away. I feel proud of our guys because we worked hard and thought we deserved to win today, but it just wasn't there."
UCF had the opportunity to end the game with 10 second remaining in regulation. Junior Ben Hunt (Bucklands Beach, New Zealand) nearly sent the ball into the net off a corner from junior Nik Robson (Bucklands Beach, New Zealand), but South Carolina goalkeeper Alex Long corralled the ball in the box. The Knights also recorded four shots on goal in the final overtime period, but Long made stops each time.
Both teams recorded 17 shots during the match. Long totaled six saves, while UCF redshirt freshman Sebastian Evers (Miami, Fla.) registered seven stops.
Tuesday's contest was originally scheduled for Oct. 8, but was postponed when heavy rain made the UCF Soccer Complex field unplayable.
UCF nearly went up 1-0 16 minutes into the match when sophomore McKauly Tulloch (Kingston, Jamaica) found a cutting junior A.J. Nelson (Ponte Vedra Beach, Fla.), who had his shot knocked away by Long. Sophomore Steven Lamberta (Temecula Valley, Calif.) controlled the rebound, but his shot was stopped by Long.
The physical contest featured four yellow cards and 41 total fouls. Lamberta totaled six shots during the match, including a pair on goal.
Despite the heartbreaking defeat, Cunningham expects the match to provide a lesson for the Knights, who will return to action in just a few days.
"We've got to manage a game with a minute left," Cunningham said. "We are better than that. Hopefully we can learn from that mistake as we move on."
UCF will conclude its regular season Saturday with a home contest against Marshall. The match starts at 7 p.m. and will serve as the final regular season game in Orlando for the Knights' five seniors.