USC men’s soccer going for first back-to-back winning seasons in nearly a decade
For the first time in nearly a decade, it seems like the South Carolina men’s soccer program is building up some momentum.
The Gamecocks put together a 10-5-2 season in 2024, marking the team’s first winning season since 2020 and the team’s first double-digit win season since 2016.
Head coach Tony Annan is entering his fifth season with South Carolina and is hoping to stack successful seasons on top of each other.
“Just trying to be consistent in the way we play, trying to be consistent in what we do,” Annan said. “ … Being able to go back-to-back with double digits (wins) is one of our goals. But we’d like to do more than just do that.”
South Carolina has yet to put together back-to-back winning seasons since it did so in 2015-2016. That’s also the last time the Gamecocks advanced to the NCAA Tournament.
Junior midfielder Mika Habel thinks South Carolina is on the right track after last year’s success and is pushing for more out of the Gamecocks in 2025.
“I think it shows everyone, the players, the fans, that we can believe in what we’re building here,” Habel said. “We have a lot of faith in the ultimate leader, which is our head coach, our staff. We take it step by step. Obviously, last year was a huge step, but why not take another huge step and not only secure another winning season, but push for more?”
South Carolina’s first exhibition of the season is Saturday against N.C. State, ranked No. 14 in the preseason coaches poll.
Roster update
South Carolina returns 15 players from last year. The Gamecocks were busy in the transfer portal and brought in nine new players.
“The strategy was to try and go deeper,” Annan said. “We hit the transfer portal hard and got some very good experience and players with a few years of college behind them. So we feel like this year we’ve got a stronger squad, a deeper squad, but we also have retained all the guys that got us to where we were. So we feel like we’re in a good place moving forward.”
A few of those portal players bring a championship pedigree with them to Columbia. Most notable is senior Tyler Trimnal. The forward was a member of the 2023 Clemson team that won the ACC and NCAA National Championship.
South Carolina also brings in five true freshmen on this year’s roster. Matthew DeJianne and Shawn Lanza both hail from Georgia. Riccardo Oddi (Italy), Jose Angel Betancourt (Spain) and Jordan Cheetham (Bahamas, by way of Montverde Academy) are all international players.
“I’m excited for this season, I’m looking forward to it,” Annan said. “I think we’ve got what I would call probably our most talented group, our deepest squad since I’ve been here.”
Three players to watch
Mika Habel, junior midfielder: Habel is the captain for Annan and the Gamecocks. He had a solid freshman campaign in 2023, when he started in 13 matches, tied for second in assists and was third in total shots. Habel was hindered by injuries last season but has led the team through the summer and is looking forward to being back in 2025.
Ethan Ballek, senior midfielder: Ballek transferred from Virginia Tech last season and made an immediate impact for the Gamecocks. He was first in points (23) and second in goals (nine) and landed on the Sun Belt All-Conference Second Team. Ballek was drafted by Nashville SC in the 2025 MLS Super Draft.
Alexander Stjernegaard, senior midfielder: Stjernegaard will be in his first season with the Gamecocks after transferring from Marshall. Last year with The Herd he was tied for second on the team in assists and fifth in points. He went to back-to-back Sun Belt championships with Marshall, winning one in 2023. He started his college career at Quinnipiac, where he was the 2022 MAAC Rookie of the Year.”
Three key games
Aug. 26 at Clemson: A game against Clemson will always be important for South Carolina, no matter the sport. Last season, the Gamecocks managed to break a nine-game losing streak to the Tigers after a 2-2 draw. That being said, South Carolina still hasn’t beaten Clemson since 2014. The Tigers come into this season ranked No. 9 in the preseason coaches poll.
Oct. 22 at Marshall: Marshall finished just short of a second national title last season after falling to Vermont 2-1 in the NCAA National Championship. The Thundering Herd are No. 2 in the preseason coaches poll and will likely be favorites to win the Sun Belt.
Nov. 4 vs. West Virginia: West Virginia won its first Sun Belt title last year after knocking off Marshall in penalty kicks. The Mountaineers are No. 16 in the preseason coaches poll.
South Carolina men’s soccer 2025 schedule
- Aug. 9 at NC State (exhibition), 6 p.m.
- Aug. 16 vs. Wofford (exhibition), 7 p.m.
- Aug. 21 at College of Charleston, 7:30 p.m.
- Aug. 26 at Clemson, 7 p.m.
- Aug. 29 vs. USC Upstate, 7 p.m.
- Sept. 2 vs. FIU, 7 p.m.
- Sept. 5 vs. Charlotte, 7 p.m.
- Sept. 9 vs. Winthrop, 7 p.m.
- Sept. 13 at UNCG, 7 p.m.
- Sept. 16 vs. North Florida, 7 p.m.
- Sept. 19 vs. Georgia State, 7 p.m.
- Sept. 23 vs. Queens, 7 p.m.
- Sept. 28 at James Madison, 7 p.m.
- Oct. 4 vs UCF, 7 p.m.
- Oct. 10 vs Old Dominion, 7 p.m.
- Oct. 19 at Kentucky, 3 p.m.
- Oct. 22 at Marshall, 7 p.m.
- Oct. 26 vs Coastal, 7 p.m.
- Oct. 31 at Georgia Southern, 7 p.m.
- Nov. 4 vs West Virginia, 7 p.m.
- Nov. 9 - 16 at Sun Belt Tournament
This story was originally published August 9, 2025 at 9:00 AM.
