The South Carolina soccer season is officially underway in Columbia, and Gamecock Nation showed out for the first-ever home game at Stone Stadium on Thursday night. Both the men's and women's soccer teams played games, with the women playing Clemson at home, with the men's squad playing on the road against North Florida.
Both teams earned victories, with the South Carolina women getting a thrilling 1-0 victory with just six minutes to go in the contest, thanks to a goal by senior midfielder Cuyler Zulauf.
The 𝙢𝙤𝙢𝙚𝙣𝙩 ✨ pic.twitter.com/PdM2Mp5pYl
— South Carolina Women’s Soccer (@GamecockWSoccer) August 21, 2026
The Gamecocks' victory marked the first outright win over Clemson since 2018. For the women, nine out of the last 11 wins over in-state rival Clemson have been shutouts. With the victory, South Carolina improves to 2-1 on the season. The last four games against the Tigers resulted in draws, so this was a long time coming.
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For the men, South Carolina's road game against North Florida marked the Gamecocks' season opener. The Gamecocks got a 4-1 win over The Ospreys, with Loïc Sany Kong scoring two goals in the win.
Four goals.
— South Carolina Men's Soccer (@GamecockMSoccer) August 21, 2026
Set the tone.
Welcome to the season🔥 pic.twitter.com/UElNwapsIP
Perhaps most impressive was Gamecock Nation setting new attendance records at Stone Stadium. The 7,004 South Carolina fans on-hand were the most ever for a men’s or women’s game in the stadium's history. The over students also broke a previous record set by Gamecock Nation.
That kinda night 😎
— South Carolina Women’s Soccer (@GamecockWSoccer) August 21, 2026
Gamecock Nation sets a new Stone Stadium record for student and all time attendance!! pic.twitter.com/8WEM55dD3w
The enthusiasm for soccer has been seen across the United States, thanks to last month's World Cup, which was hosted in several U.S. cities. In fact, elsewhere in the SEC, Georgia set a new NCAA record also on Thursday night. The 25,433 fans at Sanford Stadium for the Bulldogs' 6-0 win over James Madison was a new record crowd for both a men or women's game.
Next up for the women's team is another home game on Aug. 23 against fellow in-state squad Furman. For the men, the Gamecocks will have their home opener on Aug. 24 against USC Upstate. The women's game will start at 6 p.m. ET, with the men's starting at 7.
The South Carolina women team is coached by longtime Gamecock soccer coach Shelley Smith, who is entering her 30th season in Columbia. She has over 300 career wins. The men are led by sixth-year head coach Tony Annan.
Congrats to both teams on starting the 2026 season on a high note!
Gamecock fans can see Dawn Staley's South Carolina squad during outdoor exhibition
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