MT. PLEASANT, S.C. - College of Charleston men's soccer kept its postseason hopes alive on Saturday with a 2-1 victory over Appalachian State at Patriots Point Stadium.

The Cougars (9-8-0, 3-2 SoCon) are now tied with Davidson for third place in the Southern Conference, while the Mountaineers (4-8-1, 1-4 SoCon) stay at eighth. Only the top four teams will receive bids to the conference tournament which begins on Nov. 13.

Appalachian State got on the board in the 38th minute of play when Arie Muniz knocked the ball past Charleston defenders and headed it over the head of sophomore goalkeeper Clark Hankins. The shot from 16 yards out was Muniz's sixth score of the season.

As the clock ticked down the final seconds of the first half, an Appalachian State foul gave the ball to the Cougars. Freshman midfielder Ralph Lundy took the free kick from 35 yards out, which was redirected by midfielder Francis Twohig into the net with 1.5 seconds left on the clock. The two teams entered the locker room at halftime tied 1-1.

Things picked up for CofC in the second half as the Cougars outshot the Mountaineers 5-3. Junior Branko Gavric  capitalized on a foul by Appalachian State and scored off a free kick that arced towards the near post at the 81:30 mark. The goal was Gavric's second of the season and gave the Cougars a 2-1 advantage with 8:30 left in the game.

The Mountaineers threatened to even the score and take the game into overtime when they made back-to-back shots in the 88th minute. Less than 10 seconds after Hankins saved a shot by David Dodge, Appalachian State's Sean Dreybus attempted to come around the near corner but was blocked by a Charleston defender.

College of Charleston plays its final home game of 2009 against Furman on Tuesday at 6 p.m. Five seniors will be honored prior to kickoff.