CHARLESTON, S.C. – The College of Charleston men's soccer team opened the 2018 season with a 2-0 loss to West Virginia on Friday evening in their first game of the Aaron Olitsky Memorial Classic.

The game began as an even affair with both teams carving opportunities in the opening ten minutes. The game eventually settled down with the Mountaineers best opportunity in the first half a deflected effort that rolled towards the goal line. Cougars goalkeeper Treston Kederer was on his toes and smartly saved on the goal line.

Jake Nicholson had a half chance in the opening minutes of the second half, but his effort was quickly charged down by the West Virginia defense.

Just minutes later the Mountaineers took the lead. A 25-yard free kick hit the left post and bounced past Kederer to give WVU a 1-0 lead.

Rio Murray attempted to level the game in the 60^th minute with a smart turn on the edge of the box, but his effort rolled past the right post with the keeper scrambling to reach it.

In the 75^th minute West Virginia doubled their lead through a swift counter attack. A whipped cross from the right edge of the box found the head of the Mountaineer forward who steered the ball into the top corner to make it 2-0.

Liam Hudock struck a 30-yard volley that looked destined for the top corner as the game entered the final stages. But the WVU goalkeeper tipped it round the top corner to effectively seal the game for the Mountaineers.  

The final whistle confirmed a 2-0 loss for Charleston (0-1-0) who now look to a Sunday matchup against Stetson to close out the Aaron Olitsky Memorial Classic.

Postgame Quotes - Head Coach Ralph Lundy
On the game…
"I think West Virginia were a very good side. They were very organized, I knew they would be, we didn't match up with it. They defended fast as a unit, they attacked as a unit. They played faster than we could adjust too. We've got some growing to do that's for sure. We played against a good team and I think my players understand where we were deficient and what we've got to get better in doing."

On Sunday's game vs. Stetson…
"We got to play ball, that's the bottom line. With this schedule there are no days off. In division I soccer there are no days off, everybody has a pretty good squad. Stetson probably feels the same we do [after losing 4-0 to UNCW], they want to get a result on Sunday. Hats off to West Virginia, I think they were a very good team. I think we've got to grow, and we got to perform better than we did today. We've got to keep growing, we've got to keep getting better."

Notables
• Peter Dearle, Moussa Diarra and Rio Murray made their first collegiate starts for The College
• Rio Murray and Joao de Souza led the Cougars with two shots each, Murray had one effort on target
• 1,781 fans packed the stands for the opening day of the Aaron Olitsky Memorial Classic/Friday Night Futbol

Next Up
Charleston face Stetson on Sunday to close out the yearly tournament. Kickoff is scheduled for 4:30 p.m. at Patriots Point.