NORFOLK, Va. -- A Louis Beckett goal in the fifth minute proved to be the game-winner as Old Dominion defeated South Carolina 1-0 in a key Sun Belt Conference Men's Soccer matchup on Wednesday night.
With the win, ODU (6-4-2, 3-1-1) now have 10 points in the standings to sit alone in second place just two points behind league leading Kentucky.
"It was a hard fought, mid-week Sun Belt conference game and both teams had multiple chances," said ODU Head Coach Alan Dawson. "Luckily for us we converted a chance early and were able to withstand a lot of pressure from a very good South Carolina team."
In the fifth minute, Tristan Jenkins sent a cross in from the left side and Beckett was on the doorstep and blasted it into the net for the 1-0 lead just 4:33 into the contest.
South Carolina (5-5-3, 1-2-2) had several flurries in the first half as freshman Michael Statham made three saves in the opening 45 minutes. The Gamecocks continued the pressure, but Old Dominion kept knocking chance after chance away as Statham ended the night with six saves for his fifth clean sheet of the season.
ODU had a flurry in the second half with three shots in a row that were stoned away by the Gamecocks as they kept the Monarchs to just the one goal.
Each team had 10 shots on the night, while the Gamecocks did have an 8-3 advantage in corner kicks.
Old Dominion now heads to Conway, South Carolina for a Sunday night matchup with Coastal Carolina at 7 p.m.
Beckett's Early Tally Leads Men's Soccer Over South Carolina 1-0
