MT. PLEASANT, S.C. – The College of Charleston men's soccer
team fell, 2-1, to Appalachian State and was eliminated from the Southern
Conference Tournament on Saturday afternoon at Patriots Point. The Cougars led
for the majority of the match but the Mountaineers scored two late goals
separated by 1:16 of game clock to escape with the victory.
“We controlled a lot of the play today but we needed another
goal,” said head coach Ralph Lundy. “In the second half we needed another goal
and their keeper made an incredible save on a shot by Ralphie [Lundy] which
gave them some momentum and got them back in the game. What they were doing
wasn't exactly pretty, but they got corners; they got throw-ins; they gained
momentum; they gained territory and they got the goals. Out effort was great,
it wasn't as if we didn't have the effort. It's just a cruel game sometimes.”
The third-seeded Cougars (8-10-1) produced a 15-11 shot
advantage and 10-6 corner-kick edge while putting eight shots on goal.
Appalachian State (8-7-3), the tournament's six seed,
advances to the semifinals to be played in Cary, N.C., at the WakeMed Soccer
Complex on Thursday, Nov. 8.
The Cougars got on the board in the 15th minute
when Robbie Benson (Rock Hill, S.C.) sent a long throw-in into the box where a
Mountaineer got his head to it but caught the ball on the wrong spot and it redirected into his own net.
The Cougars stayed aggressive and on the attack while
seeking an insurance marker for the rest of the first half but would settle for
the 1-0 lead at the intermission after outshooting the Apps 9-4 in the opening
period.
CofC continued to apply pressure in the second half, but the
tide of the match turned quickly when CofC allowed the Mountaineers to counter
attack in the 76th minute. Matthew Melton took the ball down the
right side of the field in transition and sent a long cross into the box where
Josiah Trower redirected it into the net on a header.
Just after the ensuing kickoff, ASU recollected the ball
around the top of the penalty area and Stanley Broaden found Boubacar Toure
slashing through the left side of the box and Toure scored to the lower right
corner to suddenly put the Apps up 2-1.
The Cougars repeatedly threatened for the equalizer down the
stretch but it ultimately evaded them as time inevitable expired on the match.
The Cougars were led in shots by senior captain Shawn Ferguson (Rock Hill, S.C.) who took four attempts. Kees Heemskerk (Zaandam,
Netherlands) made four saves.
