COLUMBIA, S.C. – The top-ranked South Carolina men’ soccer team returns to the pitch September 27, when the Gamecocks host Sun Belt Conference foe James Madison at 7 p.m. The match is part of a doubleheader with the women’s team, with a separate ticket required for each match. The stadium will be cleared between matches.

#1 South Carolina Gamecocks 7-1, 1-0 Sun Belt
Coach: Tony Annan | 6th Season – 40-41-13
Goals Leader: 4 | Loïc Sany Kong and Alejandro Velazquez-Lopez
Assists Leader: 4 | Mika Habel and Angel Lopez
Points Leader: 9 | Angel Lopez and Alejandro Velazquez-Lopez
Shots Leader: 21 | Loïc Sany Kong
Saves Leader: 20 | Noah Scheidweiler

James Madison Dukes 3-4-1, 1-0 Sun Belt
Coach: Paul Zazenski | 9th Season
Series History: South Carolina leads 2-0-2
Trend: Carolina win 2
Last Meeting: South Carolina 1, James Madison 0 | Sept. 28, 2025 | Harrisonburg Va.
Carolina Win Streak: 2, 2024-present
JMU Win Streak: None

TAKING THE PITCH

This will be the 5th meeting all-time between the Gamecocks and Dukes.
Prior to joining the Sun Belt in 2022, the two sides has never met before,
The two teams tied the first two meetings in 2022 and 2023, both 1-1 draws.
All-time in Columbia, the Gamecocks are 1-0-1.
Last season’s 1-0 win for Carolina was the first shutout in the series.
All-time, the Gamecocks have outscored the Dukes 6-3.

QUICK NOTES

This is the 49th season of South Carolina men’s soccer.
The first NCAA RPI was released Monday and the Gamecocks sit at No. 1.
South Carolina enters the week No. 1 in the United Soccer Coaches poll, No. 1 by Top Drawer Soccer, and No. 4 by College Soccer News.

They were the unanimous No. 1 in the coaches poll, receiving all eight first place votes.
It’s the first time in program history the Gamecocks have been ranked No. 1 in the coaches poll.
Their previous high was No. 2 in the final poll of the 1987 season.

After their win over Old Dominion, the Gamecocks were the only remaining team in DI to be unbeaten and untied.

Carolina had its undefeated streak end Tuesday at 7-0.
It was the fourth time in program history starting the season 7-0 and the first since 2003.
It’s the 13th time in program history starting the season 7-1 or better.

The Gamecocks have four wins over ranked opponents, the most in the nation.

It’s the most since also earning four ranked wins in 2015. They also had four in 1996.

Loïc Sany Kong had five shots on goal against ODU, the most since Luca Mayr in 2016.
Carolina once again leads the nation in home attendance averaging 4,657.
Carolina’s home opener saw 5,489 fans pack Stone Stadium, the 10th largest crowd in program history.
The Gamecocks topped that with the largest attended match in program history August 28 against Clemson, 7,671, smashing the previous mark of 6,892.
Three home matches rank in the top-7 highest attended games in DI this year.
Mika Habel was named the Sun Belt Defensive Player of the Week on Sept. 15.
The Gamecocks win over #16 Clemson marked their first 3-0 start since 2014.

It was their first win over the Tigers also since 2014.

Through six matches, the Gamecocks rank 13th in the nation in goal differential (12).

As a team, they also rank 14th in assists per game, 12th in total assists, 14th in points per game, 16th in total points, 19th in scoring offense and 21st in total goals.
Mika Habel and Angel Lopez rank 22nd in total assists (4).
Alejandro Velazquez-Lopez and Loïc Sany Kong are tied for 14th in game-winning goals (2).

Alejandro Velazquez-Lopez was named the Sun Belt Offensive Player of the Week on Sept. 1 for his play in wins over Clemson and USC Upstate.
Loïc Sany Kong was named the Sun Belt Offensive Player of the Week for his performance in the win over North Florida.
South Carolina is in its fifth season in the Sun Belt Conference.
Carolina led the nation in attendance in 2025 for the fourth straight season (3,792).
They are the first program to lead the NCAA in attendance four straight seasons since UC Santa Barbara led nine straight years (2007-2015).
The Gamecocks have an all-time record of 551-302-89.