South Carolina men’s soccer suffers Palmetto Series loss to No. 6 Clemson

A little over five minutes into the match, South Carolina created a dangerous scoring opportunity against the run of play.

Filipp Versterre, the Gamecocks’ sophomore starting goalkeeper, stood at the edge of the six-yard box with the ball at his feet. He scanned the field in front of him and noticed that Clemson’s defenders were playing a high line. If he could kick the ball far enough, it might fall in the path of Tyler Trimnal behind the defense.

Versterre’s goal kick played out exactly the way he wanted. Once Trimnal corralled the ball, he took a few dribbles before unleashing a shot towards the Tigers’ net. It would have resulted in a goal had Clemson goalkeeper Joseph Andema not parried it away with an outstretched arm.

A goal on that play had the potential to drastically shift momentum in favor of South Carolina. And it surely wasn’t the last time the Gamecocks threatened the Tigers’ defense.

But, unfortunately for South Carolina, close chances can’t count towards their score. Even though the Gamecocks would eventually find the back of the net, they still fell to No. 6 Clemson by a 4-1 score Tuesday night at Historic Riggs Field.

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Most of South Carolina’s best offensive moments came on counterattacks, as it kept as many players as possible on defense. Despite the Gamecocks’ best efforts, the Tigers found ways to continue bending them until they eventually broke.

Sophomore midfielder Ransford Gyan, Top Drawer Soccer’s Freshman of the Year last season, was at the center of Clemson’s attacking interplay. In the 12th minute, Gyan dribbled past two South Carolina defenders and glanced a shot off the post. He then forced a diving save out of Versterre in the 23rd.

It wouldn’t be much longer before Gyan found a breakthrough for the Tigers. Clemson’s senior midfielder Misei Yoshizawa crossed a ball towards an onrushing Gyan in the 32nd minute, and the latter completed the play with a close-range finish.

The Tigers headed into halftime with a 12-3 advantage in shots, but the Gamecocks made the most of their few opportunities. Trimnal had another potential lead-taking shot on goal in the 17th minute that was saved by Andema.

“We were slow off the mark the first 20 [minutes]… But I think we grew into the game, and we played very well the last 20 minutes,” Annan said in a halftime interview. “Even when we were slow and sloppy, we were still creating chances. So, I take that as a positive. Hopefully, in the second half, we can improve that.”

Those improvements showed up in a big way in the 58th minute, when junior midfielder Mika Habel fired a first-touch effort that deflected off the foot of a Clemson defender into the back of the net for South Carolina’s first goal of the night. Freshman forward Matthew DeJianne was credited with the assist.

But that goal came after the Tigers’ lead had grown to two. In the 54th minute, Versterre misplayed a pass intended for one of his defensive teammates. Clemson forward Nathan Richmond reached the ball first, and he took advantage of the 1-versus-1 opportunity created. His shot on goal made the score 2-0.

Self-inflicted errors would cost the Gamecocks again in the 80th minute, putting the match out of reach. The Tigers’ forwards’ pressure forced South Carolina to turn the ball over deep in the latter’s territory. After Clemson reclaimed possession, the ball eventually found its way to the feet of sophomore forward Wahabu Musah. Musah fought through contact, maintained composure and launched a shot off Versterre’s gloved fingers and into the goal.

Yoshizawa inflicted further damage with an 88th-minute strike that solidified a 4-1 win for the home side, which finished the match with a 23-7 advantage in shots (and a 9-3 advantage in shots on goal).

Palmetto Series implications

With the victory, the Tigers claimed the first point of the 2025-26 Palmetto Series.

The Palmetto Series, sponsored annually by the South Carolina Education Lottery, pits South Carolina and Clemson against each other across all their NCAA Division I-sanctioned sports teams. In each matchup, the winner earns one point towards their overall tally for the academic year. Whichever school finishes with the most points by the end of the spring wins the Palmetto Series.

Although the Gamecocks find themselves “behind the 8 ball” early this season, they will soon have opportunities to flip the lead back in their favor. South Carolina’s and Clemson’s women’s soccer teams face off on Thursday, and their volleyball teams play against each other on Sunday.

The Gamecocks maintain a 6-1 all-time lead in the Palmetto Series. After losing for the first time in 2023, South Carolina stormed back to win 7-4 over Clemson last year.

Next up

The Gamecocks will return to Stone Stadium for the next match on their regular-season schedule. On Friday, South Carolina will take on USC Upstate, with kick-off set for 7 p.m. The match will be streamed on ESPN+.

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