MT. PLEASANT, S.C. – Leonardo D'Ambrosio converted a penalty kick in the final minute to lift College of Charleston to a 2-1 win over Drexel in the CAA opener for both teams Saturday at Ralph Lundy Field.

The deciding goal came after Drexel keeper Alessandro Capogna cleanly fielded a Cougar corner kick but was subsequently issued a red card for violent play with only 40 seconds left on the clock. D'Ambrosio converted the fourth successful PK of his career to give Charleston the victory.

After playing to a pair of draws in their season-opening road swing to Florida, the Cougars (1-0-2) broke into the win column and earned their second straight victory in a conference opener. Drexel suffered its first loss after a win and tie to open the year.

"I am very proud of the guys today. We battled hard for 90 minutes and getting a goal in the last minute of each half shows our commitment to putting a full game together," said head coach Keith Wiggans. "We created a lot of opportunities but still need to be more clinical in our finishing.

"The CAA is a tough conference, and Drexel is a good team, so I'm very happy to start conference play with three points."

Charleston also scored its first goal in dramatic fashion. Despite dominating play throughout the opening 45 minutes, the Cougars were locked in a scoreless battle when Peter Thomas found Damon Williams with a long pass and Williams scored just seven seconds before intermission.

It stayed a 1-0 game until the Dragons tied it on a goal by Harrison Coron in the 78th minute.

The Cougars fired eight shots in both halves and held a 16-8 advantage in that department. The pressure applied by the Charleston attack also created a whopping 13 corner kicks, including nine in the second half.

Charleston remains home for a non-conference game against Coastal Carolina on Tuesday at 7 p.m.