USC Union has been building momentum on the soccer field, stringing together consecutive victories as the Bantams continue their push through the season. Union has two impressive victories (vs Southern Crescent Tech 5–0, vs USC Sumter 2-1) before carrying that momentum through September to end with a hard-fought 3–2 win over USC Lancaster on Sept. 30.
September 17: USC Union Bantam Soccer used a strong first-half performance and a late insurance goal to defeat Central Carolina Community College, 3-0.
The Bantams wasted little time getting on the scoreboard, with Valentin Dahlem finding the back of the net in the 10th minute off an assist from Massimo Rossi to give USC Union an early 1-0 advantage.
USC Union doubled its lead at the 30-minute mark when Ethan Blake scored on a pass from Emilio Werner. The goal sent the Bantams into halftime with a 2-0 advantage.
Central Carolina attempted to mount a comeback in the second half, but USC Union’s defense and goalkeeper Pau Mansokept the hosts off the scoreboard. Manso recorded seven saves in the match to preserve the clean sheet.
The Bantams added their final goal in the 80th minute when Valerio Cuseina converted a feed from Blake, extending the lead to 3-0.
Blake finished the match with a goal and an assist, contributing to two of USC Union’s three goals. Dahlem and Cuseina each added a goal, while Rossi and Werner recorded assists.
USC Union was also strong on set pieces, earning six corner kicks while Central Carolina was held without a corner.
The Bantams were issued three yellow cards during the match. Rolando Hernandez was booked in the 37th minute, followed by Nico Deiringer in the 81st and Isael Antonio in the 89th.
USC Union finished the match with a 3-0 victory and a clean sheet.
The official box score contains a statistical discrepancy, listing zero shots and zero shots on goal for both teams despite the three goals scored and Manso’s seven recorded saves. The scoring summary and goalkeeper statistics clearly reflect the 3-0 result, suggesting the shot totals were likely a recording error.
September 21: USC Union delivered a dominant performance Monday night, cruising to a 5-0 shutout of the Brevard College Developmental Team.
The Bantams established control early, scoring twice in the opening half before adding three more goals after halftime.
Ethan Blake opened the scoring in the 11th minute, finishing a chance created by Isael Antonio to give USC Union a 1-0 lead.
The Bantams added to their advantage in the 29th minute when Rolando Hernandez found the back of the net off an assist from Massimo Rossi. USC Union carried the 2-0 lead into halftime.
The second half belonged to the Bantams.
Valerio Cuseina extended the lead to 3-0 in the 50th minute, converting an assist from Emilio Werner. Just seven minutes later, Werner set up another goal, this time finding Ryan Dzadu in the 57th minute to make it 4-0.
Werner capped his own impressive night in the 72nd minute, scoring USC Union’s fifth and final goal. Rossi recorded his second assist of the match on the play.
Werner finished with a goal and two assists, playing a direct role in three of USC Union’s five goals. Rossi added two assists, while Blake, Hernandez, Cuseina, Dzadu and Werner each found the net.
The Bantams were equally impressive defensively, combining for a clean sheet. Salim Janna played the first 45 minutes and recorded two saves, while Pau Manso made two saves during the second half. The two goalkeepers combined for four saves and kept Brevard off the scoreboard.
USC Union was issued two yellow cards during the match. Justin Aguiar was cautioned in the 65th minute, while Sam Carbonnier received a yellow card in the 89th minute.
The victory gave USC Union a convincing 5-0 result, with the Bantams holding a 2-0 advantage at halftime before adding three goals in the second half.
September 26: USC Union’s offense was firing on all cylinders Saturday as the Bantams erupted for 10 first-half goals and cruised to a 15-0 shutout of Southern Crescent Technical College.
The Bantams wasted no time getting on the scoreboard. Juhani Brown opened the scoring in the fourth minute, finishing an assist from Valentin Dahlem to give USC Union an early 1-0 lead.
From there, the floodgates opened.
Emilio Werner put together a remarkable nine-minute stretch, scoring in the 11th, 20th and 24th minutes to complete a first-half hat trick and push the Bantams’ lead to 4-0.
The scoring continued throughout the opening half. In an unusual entry on the scoresheet, USC Union goalkeeper Salim Janna found the back of the net unassisted in the 30th minute.
Michael Chivinos then added two goals in a span of just two minutes, scoring in the 34th and 35th minutes. USC Union continued to pour on the pressure and entered halftime with a commanding 10-0 advantage.
The Bantams showed no signs of slowing down after the break.
Ethan Blake scored in the 48th minute, followed by Valerio Cuseina just one minute later. Nico Deiringer added another goal in the 51st minute, while Ryan Dzadu found the net in the 61st.
Werner capped his standout performance in the 65th minute with his fourth goal of the match, bringing the final score to 15-0.
Werner led all scorers with four goals, while Cuseina and Chivinos each finished with two. Cuseina also played a major role in creating opportunities, recording three assists to go with his two goals. Henry Poole added two assists as the Bantams recorded 14 assists on their 15 goals. USC Union dominated the statistical sheet as well, finishing with 38 total shots, including 24 on target.
September 30: Bantams erased a halftime tie with a three-goal second-half surge Wednesday afternoon, defeating USC Lancaster 3–2 on Sept. 30 in Jonesville.
The Bantams and Lancers battled to a 1–1 deadlock through the opening 45 minutes before Union took control late in the match.
USC Union struck first in the 28th minute when Emilio Werner found the back of the net off an assist from Daniel Hoyos, giving the Bantams a 1–0 advantage.
Lancaster responded just four minutes later. Erik Robertello scored in the 32nd minute on a pass from Julian Rulke, sending the teams into halftime tied at 1–1.
The score remained even deep into the second half until Union broke through in the 77th minute. Valerio Cuseina put the Bantams back in front, converting an opportunity created by Ethan Blake. Union added an insurance goal just four minutes later. In the 81st minute, Rolando Hernandez scored off an assist from Isael Antonio, pushing the Bantams’ lead to 3–1.
Lancaster refused to go quietly. Stephon James cut the deficit to 3–2 in the 87th minute after receiving an assist from Tom Decle, setting up a tense final few minutes.
USC Union’s defense held firm, however, and goalkeeper Pau Manso made four saves while allowing two goals over 90 minutes. Lancaster goalkeeper Daniel Monteiro recorded three saves. Union finished with three goals on three assists, while Lancaster received assists from Rulke and Decle on its two goals.
The match also featured seven yellow cards. Lancaster’s Colson Varnadoe, John Sosa and Tom Decle were cautioned, while Union’s Daniel Hoyos, Emilio Werner, Julian Ardila and Oliver Lane received yellow cards.
With the victory, USC Union closed out the afternoon with a hard-fought 3–2 win after overcoming a second-half challenge from its conference opponent.
