#5 USC Upstate Advances to Semifinals with 5-1 Win at #4 UNC Asheville
By USC Upstate Athletics
ASHEVILLE, N.C. - Making an appearance in the first round of the Big South Men's Soccer Championships, Upstate Men's Soccer took the pitch for a rematch with UNC Asheville for the Ingles I-26 Rivalry marking the first both teams faced off in the conference tournament. Upstate Men's Soccer rode the hot hand of a record-breaking performance from Oskar Kaufmann scoring four goals pushing Upstate to the Semi-finals with a 5-1 win over the Bulldogs.
BOX SCORE
Opening the first half, the Spartans jumped in the scoring column with a connection that has been seen many times during the season with Vitalis Takawira Jr. Connecting with Oskar Kaufmann for a goal at the 20th minute. The Bulldogs responded after a handball was called in their favor, resulting in a penalty kick tying the match at one apiece. With both teams tied at the half, the second half opened with more action as both teams had their season on the line looking to take the next step. First Team All-Conference player, Oskar Kaufmann turned up the temperature scoring at 49th minute after a handball went in their favor resulting in a penalty kick.
However, Kaufmann was only beginning the show as he displayed the first hat trick of the season scoring at the 70th minute pushing the lead to 3-1 tugging away further. As the Spartans' offense continued to push for more, a beautiful touch from Oscar Kelly and Vitalis Takawira Jr. Resulted in Oskar Kaufmann scoring his fourth goal of the match tying a the record for the most goals scored in a match in Upstate Men's Soccer Division I history. The following minute, Oscar Kelly entered the fray scoring his fourth goal of the season pushing Upstate to victory advancing to the Semi-finals for the first time since 2022.
How it Happened
* 20'- Oskar Kaufmann scores the first goal assisted by Vitalis Takawira Jr.
* 40' - Rodrigo Mendes of UNC Asheville converts on the penalty kick
* 49'- Oskar Kaufmann converts on the penalty kick
* 70'- Oskar Kaufmann scores a hat trick assisted by Itamar Biton
* 74' - Oskar Kaufmann ties Gordon Wild for the most goals scored in a match for Upstate with his fourth goal
* 75' - Oscar Kelly scores his fourth goal of the season
Notable
* Oskar Kaufmann's legendary performance tied for the most goals scored in a single match, the most points in a single match, and the second most goals scored in a season (11).
* Senior Forward, Vitalis Takawira Jr. Moves up the ladder with a three-assist match now adding 10 on the season which is four more than the second most in a single season (6)
* Upstate outdueled Asheville with 12 shots total compared to Asheville's 11; both teams added five on goal.
* In goal, Jarrett Wuerslin added four saves for his fifth win and a total of 67 saves on the season.
Up next for the Spartans
Following the win, Upstate moves to the Semi-finals meeting with #1 seeded, High Point University on Sunday, November 9th where the winner will advance to the Championship on November 15th.