College of Charleston
Georgia Southern
College of Charleston men?s soccer team knocks off Georgia Southern, 2-1
10/14/2008 4:00:00 AM | Men's Soccer
MT. PLEASANT, S.C. --- The College of Charleston men's soccer team picked up their second Southern Conference win of the season, as they knocked off Georgia Southern, 2-1, in a physical affair at Patriots Point Soccer Stadium on Tuesday night.
With the win, the Cougars move to 8-5-0 on the year, 2-2-0 in the SoCon, while Georgia Southern drops to 3-7-0 (1-3-0 in the SoCon).
“This was a hard fought, tough victory for our team tonight,” said head coach Ralph Lundy. “To pull off a win, despite the fact that we were playing without five regular starters, is especially important to us. A lot of players stepped up tonight.”
In the first period, the Cougars were first to strike, as John Bello scored his first goal of the season in the 30th minute after he received the ball off a deflection from a Georgia Southern defender right in front of the net.
The Eagles, however, knotted the game up at one when B.J Reine took a cross from teammate Jon Cox to score his second goal of the season in the 33'rd minute. Both teams failed the score the rest of the period, as the match remained tied at one going into the half.
In the second half, the Cougars took their second lead of the night in the 56th minute when a Georgia Southern defender headed in a goal in his own net off a Charleston cross that made the score 2-1. This tally would prove to be the deciding factor in the match, as the Cougars proceeded to hang on to the 2-1 lead the rest of the way.
The majority of match was hotly contested, as both teams kept up physical play throughout. At the end of the night, a total of 30 fouls were called, along with seven yellow cards.
“Because this was a conference match, you know that things are going to be heated and competitive,” said Lundy. “I thought our team kept their focus throughout the night and didn't let anything get the best of them.”
Goalie Clark Hankins held Georgia Southern scoreless after giving up the first half tally and made four saves in between the pipes to pick up his fifth win of the season.
The Cougars return to action on Saturday, Oct. 18, when they host UNC-Greensboro in Southern Conference action at Patriots Point. The match is set to start at 7 p.m.
