USC men’s soccer team advances in NCAA Tournament with win over Furman

It might have taken longer than the South Carolina men’s soccer team would’ve liked, but it’s advancing in the NCAA Tournament. The Gamecocks defeated Furman 2-1 in penalty kicks after a 1-1 stalemate through regulation and two overtime periods Thursday.

USC (12-7-1) advances to face national No. 15 seed UC Santa Barbara on Sunday at 9 p.m.

Torgeir Nyboe connected on the first shot in the shootout for the Gamecocks, while Kurtis Turner made his kick three shots later. Furman (8-6-5) scored on its first kick by Adrian McInnis, but missed its next four.

In regulation, Danny Deakin opened the scoring for USC in the 58th minute. That score stood up until a minute before regulation ended, when Furman’s Lewis Hawke scored and sent the game into overtime.

It was the 11th goal of the season for Deakin, while goalie William Pyle was credited with six saves.

The win kept USC unbeaten at home this season with a 9-0-1 record.