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by WILL FOLKS
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The University of South Carolina men’s soccer team made history this week after being unanimously selected as the top-ranked team in America. The Gamecocks (7-0) were ranked No. 1 by United Coaches, No. 1 by NCAA Soccer and No. 1 by Top Drawer Soccer.
It’s the first time the program has ever achieved the nation’s top ranking, and it comes on the heels of a 2-1 victory over previously undefeated Old Dominion last Friday (September 18, 2026). Previously, South Carolina’s top national ranking came when the team finished the 1987 season ranked No. 2 nationally.
Forward Loïc Sany Kong – a junior from Quebec City, Quebec – leads the Gamecocks with four goals. Kong scored the game-winning tally over Old Dominion in Friday’s battle of the last unbeaten, untied programs in the country.
For his efforts, Kong was named the Sun Belt player of the week for the second time this season.
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— South Carolina Men's Soccer (@GamecockMSoccer) September 22, 2026
For the first time in program history, the Gamecocks are the ????????? No. 1 team in the country.
#1 by @UnitedCoaches, #1 @NCAASoccer RPI, #1 by @TopDrawerSoccer #WEareCarolina pic.twitter.com/FSiPW7l06r
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If you’re curious about conference affiliations, South Carolina’s women’s soccer team participates in the Southeastern Conference (SEC), but its men’s team plays in the Sun Belt Conference. That’s because the SEC doesn’t offer men’s soccer owing to Title IX restrictions.
Kentucky is another SEC school that participates in the Sun Belt for men’s soccer.
South Carolina’s other “football” program has never been ranked No. 1 nationally. In November 1984, the Gamecocks reached as high as No. 2 in polls prior to losing on the road against Navy. South Carolina’s men’s basketball team was ranked No. 1 in the nation heading into the 1969-70 season, but the Gamecocks – then coached by the legendary Frank McGuire – were bounced from the top spot after losing to unranked Tennessee at home.
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South Carolina’s baseball program won back-to-back national championships in 2010 and 2011, while its women’s basketball team won national titles in 2017, 2022 and 2024. Women’s track and field won the 2002 outdoor national title, while women’s equestrian has won four championships – including this year’s competition in Ocala, Florida.
The Gamecocks are led by sixth-year head coach Tony Annan, a native of Newcastle, England. Annan received a three-year contract extension last fall from athletics director Jeremiah Donati – and indicated it was his goal to bring home a national championship during that stretch.
Annan’s best season prior to this year was 2024, when the Gamecocks won ten games and were ranked as high as No. 11 nationally.
If you want to catch the best team in America in action, you’ll have two chances to do so this week. The Gamecocks host the College of Charleston tonight (September 22, 2026) at Stone Stadium in downtown Columbia at 7:00 p.m. EDT. South Carolina hosts James Madison at Stone Stadium on Sunday evening at 7:00 p.m. EDT.
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ABOUT THE AUTHOR…
Will Folks is the founding editor of the news outlet you are currently reading. Prior to founding FITSNews, he served as press secretary to the governor of South Carolina. He lives in the Midlands region of the state with his wife and eight children.
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