There was a buzz around Stone Stadium as Tony Annan left the Gamecocks’ facility and made the walk over to the coaches’ box.

He paced slowly over to where he’d be stationed for the next 90 minutes as things swelled and the ball was kicked off, officially beginning his tenure as the Gamecocks’ men’s soccer coach.

And the Gamecocks were able to start the Annan era off the right way, taking down Anderson 4-3 in an exhibition Tuesday night, a win the new skipper thought was a step in the right direction.

“From what I watched last year of the games to what I watched tonight in our first game ever doing what I asked them to do, I saw a glimmer of some identity, a glimmer of a philosophy and a glimmer of a passion to win,” he said, emphatically. “It’s by no means a finished article but there was a glimmer of what I’d hope to see tonight after six days of training.”

Also see: Insider notes from Tuesday's practice

For the Gamecocks, it was their first soccer match in four months and the first time Annan patrolled the touch-line since taking the job in April.

The fireworks started early and continued through the first half with the Gamecocks using a press-first mentality to put a goal on the board within the first five minutes of the game en route to a dominating first half hour of the game.

They’d end up causing havoc because of their aggression—part of that identity Annan wants to instill—while moving well without the ball in the attacking and middle third of the field, being responsible for four first-half goals.

But, their lead was only three at the break after Anderson slotted a penalty and posted two more goals right before halftime thanks to some sloppy play.

Annan loved the aggression but the focus now becomes cleaning up things on the back end and getting better after a second 45 minutes where the Gamecocks didn’t do much offensively.

Also see: Player notes from Tuesday's media availability

“If a team or players haven’t been asked to do it often under pressure then there’s a lot of work to do to help them understand when to have patience and when to go forward,” Annan said. “But overall I was very pleased with the first half with a lot of stuff. Second half we dug in and got the win; we didn’t play particularly well.”

What Tuesday served as was the beginning of a new era both literally and figuratively with Annan now at the helm and bringing with him what he hopes is a new identity at South Carolina.

He and his staff are only six days into a preseason; not enough time to install much of anything tangible let alone a full identity of how they want to play, but he saw signs of progress in the unofficial game one.

Team captain for the night Peter Clement scored twice and led the charge with a few others demonstrating exactly how Annan wants his teams to play every time out.

Also see: What we learned coming out of Saturday's scrimmage

“(Midfielder Lorenzo Nagy) plays the system very well, rotates very well, moves into space very well. Peter Clement is more of a silent leader. He’s not a big character but very good ability and leads with his ability and his actions. Those two really stood out for I thought Parker League was good in the middle. I thought (midfielder) Logan Hitzeman, coming off a serious injury and surgery, was fantastic,” Annan said.

“Those were the standouts who embraced what we were trying to do but I’m happy with the whole team the first half. I really am. The guys on the pitch the first half really embodied what we were trying to do as best they could given the time they had.”

The Gamecocks have a little bit of time to iron out any kinks, traveling to James Madison for another exhibition Saturday before the season gets kicked off in earnest next Thursday at home against the College of Charleston.

And tonight, for a lot of reasons, is something Annan will like to keep building on for the future.

“Today was a small step forward for this program and these players,” he said. “I’m going to tell them that.”

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