A chilly evening at Stone Stadium drew a crowd of 5,489 fans eager to see the USC Upstate Spartans take on the University of South Carolina's men's soccer squad.
The Gamecocks struck first, with Alejandro Velazquez-Lopez finding the net at the 37:16 mark after a precise assist from Angel Lopez, putting South Carolina ahead early in the first half.
A turning point: the red card
Just minutes later, defender Matiwos Rumley was shown a red card at 43:59, leaving the Spartans a man short and forcing them to regroup for the remainder of the match.
The second half began with a swift blow as Loic Sany Kong added a goal just 15 seconds in, extending the lead to 3-0 and underscoring the Spartans' defensive frailties.
Mika Habel capped the scoring at 53:04, sealing a 4-0 victory that reflected South Carolina's dominance.
Numbers tell the story
South Carolina outshot the Spartans 19 to 2, earned five corner kicks to Upstate's three, and committed nine fouls compared with the Spartans' eleven, while goalkeeper Jarrett Wuerslin played the full 90 minutes and made two saves. The match also saw two yellow cards issued to Upstate players.
Despite the loss, the Spartans will look to regroup as they head into the next phase of their schedule, hoping to tighten a defense that proved vulnerable against a relentless opponent.