Palmetto State Report: June 4

Forrest Wimberly
15 hours ago
4 min read

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Palmetto State Report: June 4

Soccer News from South Carolina

Heat Clinches Regular Season Title

Second-half goals from Martin Carpena and Alex Lopez lifted the South Carolina United Heat 2-0 over visiting Soda City FC on Sunday night in the Columbia Derby. The Friday night draw versus Charlotte SA had clinched the regular season title for the Heat and the win over Soda sends the champs into the postseason undefeated with an 8W-0L-2T record sitting seven points clear at the top of the UPSL Mid-Atlantic South table. Both the Heat and Soda will receive first-round byes for the playoffs and will enter the postseason the weekend of June 13-14.

Electric City Earns Forfeit Win Over Coastal Kings

It was basically a postseason play-in game in Anderson on Saturday afternoon, and Electric City earned a 3-0 forfeit win as the Coastal Kings called off the match due to weather/player safety concerns. The hottest team in the UPSL Mid-Atlantic South picked up another win (5 in row) to complete their amazing ascent up the table landing in fourth place. Just a month ago Electric was at the foot of the table and has used this winning streak to move into playoff position in this first season of UPSL Premier soccer for the club. Electric will enter the playoffs the weekend of June 6-7.

Bantams Defeat NCFC 3-1 in USL2 Home Match

NCFC scored first in the 18th minute but after a red card was shown to the visitor’s goal scorer in the 33rd minute, it was all South Carolina United Bantams as the hosts ran out a 3-1 win last weekend in Columbia. Kemp Wilson leveled the match for the Bantams in the 38th minute to send the teams knotted at 1-1 to the halftime break. A goal from Abdul Kamara gave the Bantams the lead in the 66th minute before Kemp Wilson bagged his brace in the 66th minute to claim all three points for the hosts. The Bantams with the win climb the table into eighth place with a 1W-2L-0T (3 points) record on the season and will host eleventh place Wake FC on June 6 at 7 PM. The Bantams W-League team also plays Wake FC at 7 PM on June 6 in the next Bantams USL double match day.

Battery Blanks Detroit 2-0 at the Point

It was Colton Swan with a header and Langston Blackstock with a side-footed, one-timer early in the first half to send the Charleston Battery onto a 2-0 win over visiting Detroit City at Patriots Point Saturday afternoon. Swan now leads the team with 7 goals in all competitions and scored this latest goal off a corner kick. Luis Zamudio played all 90 minutes in the Battery nets earning the 2-0 shutout win. The Battery will host the Pittsburgh Riverhounds in Prinx Tires USL Cup action on June 6 before hosting FC Tulsa in USLC action on June 13 at the Point.

Royal Cavaliers Draw 2-2 with Crew

The UPSL Women’s expansion side Royal Cavalier FC picked up a 2-2 result in their first match in franchise history on the road in North Carolina versus the Carolina Crew. The Cavaliers were down 0-2 before Claire Reid collected a ball in the air, turned, and drove into the box where she beat the Crew keeper with a driven left-footed shot into the near post for the first goal in franchise history. Carleigh Reid scored the second Cavalier goal after she pounced on a loose ball at the top of the Crew box before ripping a bending ball into the top left corner of the Crew net to level the match. The team will look to get another road result in North Carolina on June 6 as they travel to play the Carolina Swarm in Apex, NC. The home opener for Royal Cavaliers is June 11 versus the same Carolina Swarm at 6 PM.

Surf Wins 2-1 On the Road in Asheville

Owen Sullivan scored a brace as the South Carolina Surf punched their ticket into the postseason with the 2-1 win at Asheville FC. The Surf are an expansion franchise in the Lowcountry after taking over the UPSL Premier operations of former club Charleston United. The Surf finished in third place in the UPSL Mid-Atlantic South conference and will enter the postseason on the weekend of June 6-7.

Soda City UPSL Women Draw 2-2 with Carolina Swarm

Goals from Rebekah Fox and Scarlett Gietz saw the Soda City UPSL Women earn a 2-2 draw versus the visiting Carolina Football Club Swarm last Saturday. The match result puts the Soda Women at 0W-0L-2T (2 points) right in the middle of the UPLS Mid-Atlantic table early in the season. The team will travel this weekend for two matches playing June 6 at the Crew in North Carolina before playing June 7 at the Rush in Virginia. The next home match is June 13 as Soda hosts Rush.

Triumph Fall at One Knox

The Greenville Triumph fell 0-2 on the road at One Knoxville last weekend in USL 1 action. Amal Knight was the man-of-the-match for the Triumph as the keeper made several spectacular saves keeping the match in reach for the visiting Triumph all night long. The Triumph were very unlucky on the first Knoxville goal in the 48th minute as a cross from the right flank deflected off the head of a Greenville defender and then looped up and over Knight for the cruel deflected opening goal. Knoxville put the game out of reach in the 81st minute as an individual effort saw the attacker bend a wicked shot through a crowded box just inside the back post and into the side netting. Greenville returns home, their new permanent home GE Vernova Park, on June 3 versus Forward Madison. The June 3 match is sold-out as the Upstate opens this brand-new soccer stadium.

Soda City WPSL Slip with 1-2 Loss

Gracie Smith scored the lone Soda City FC goal and that just wasn’t enough to get past the visiting Carolina Football Club Swarm in WPSL action Saturday night in Irmo. Soda slips to 0W-2L-0T on the season and plays two matches in Raleigh on June 6-7 versus the two NCFC WPSL teams. Kickoff is 6 PM versus the NCFC Blue on June 6 and 11 AM versus the NCFC Grey on June 7.