Bantam Soccer Defeats Richard Bland

"We know that the amount of application and energy we put in on the field determines our results," said sophomore Bantam Soccer player Mila Mzamane following the team's 5-1 win at Richard Bland College on Saturday, September 21. "You have to be there, and we were there for this game."

The Bantams started off strong, scoring five minutes into the game thanks to a goal from Antonio Ardigo, a freshman forward from Genoa, Italy, assisted by freshman midfielder Juan Rodas of Pereira, Columbia. Richard Bland scored seconds later, evening the game until 28 minutes, when Mzamane scored an unassisted goal.

At 53 minutes, Rodas scored with an assist from Mzamane, followed byArdigo, who scored at 55 minutes with an assist from Afonso De Noronha, a sophomore winger from Thetford, England. Freshman forward Steven Ouattara of Burkina Faso, West Africa, scored the last goal of the game at 72 minutes with an assist from sophomore midfielder Chris Neilson of Glasgow, Scotland.

Sophomore goalkeeper Colby Suber, a native of Clinton, SC, completed two saves out of three shots on the goal.

"This was a really good win and we worked hard to get it," said Ouattara. Julien Födisch, a freshman winger from Utzenfeld, Germany, said that the team has made a lot of improvements since they lost to Richard Bland earlier in the season. "We were not playing our best in that first game," he said. "Saturday we really showed what we were capable of."

 Mzamane says that this game had one of the "best team performances" he has seen during his time at USC Union. "Everyone was doing their job and the coaches had a great tactical plan," he said. "Everything fell into place." The South African winger, who was named NJCAA Region 10 Player of the Year for Division 1 in 2023, says consistency is key for him when it comes to the game this year. "I am more confident this year, but I aim to hold myself accountable so I can give my team the best chance at winning," he said.

Suber says the team "brought 100%" to the game. "We started off hot and stayed on the gas," he said. Suber knew he had to improve certain aspects of his technique to give the team a better chance of securing the win. "We got a few shots with my throws because I worked on it a lot over the week of practice," he said.

Jay Hartgill, a sophomore defender from Milton Keynes, England, feels that this team was able to "make history" for Bantam soccer in this first-time victory over the Statesmen. "Scoring first set the tone for the rest of the game," he said. "We showed we were hungry for the win."

"This shows the potential for what we can do," said Luke Hopewood of London, sophomore defender. "Now we just have to keep going and carrying it out."

"The boys worked really hard as a team and every position was played effectively," said Head Coach Marc Curlee. "This was the biggest win in USCU soccer history and has been a huge step forward for the program."

The Bantams will take on USC Lancaster on Wednesday September 25 at home and will compete against USC Salkehatchie on Tuesday October 1 at home.

Featured image: Antonio Ardigo