Charleston 1, Charlotte 1 (2OT)
CHARLOTTE, N.C. - The College of Charleston scored a first half goal for the 1-1 tie with Charlotte in its second match of the season on Monday night.
“Tonight’s game was fast paced and both teams were evenly matched,” said CofC head coach Ralph Lundy. “We would have liked to have won the match, but we are happy to come home with a tie.”
Evan Harding of Charlotte (1-0-1) scored the first goal of the match in the 28th minute to give the 49ers a 1-0 advantage. Charleston (1-0-1) answered with a Wes Knight goal in the 35th minute on an assist from Zach Bennett.
Charleston had 12 shots in the match, while Charlotte had 16. Charleston goalkeeper Corbin Walker had six saves and has not lost either of his first two starts of the season.
Charleston’s 1-0-1 start marks the first time the Cougars have played their first two matches of the season without suffering a defeat since 1996.
The Cougars will return to action at home on Friday to host the Nike/Aaron Olinsky Memorial Tournament Sep. 1-3 at Patriots Field in Mt. Pleasant. Their first match of the tournament will be against Alabama A&M on Sep. 1 at 7:30 p.m.
#24 South Carolina 2, Wofford 0
SPARTANBURG, S.C. ? A goal in each half was the difference as the No. 24-ranked South Carolina Gamecocks posted a 2-0 decision over Wofford in men’s soccer action at Snyder Field Monday night. The contest was played in front of a Terrier school-record crowd of 1,072 spectators.
South Carolina put the first tally on the board at 19:14 when Mike Sambursky, standing near the goal line on the left side of the Wofford cage, sent the ball back across the goal mouth to a streaking Spencer Lewis who nailed it home from six yards out.
The Terriers’ confidence did not waver with the score, as near scoring attempt on a header by senior forward Brandon Lowery was deterred by an offside call with 10 minutes remaining in the opening stanza.
Wofford (1-1) would continue to put pressure on the Gamecock defense early in the second half, including a rocket fired by freshman midfielder Yakov Rubinchik, which sailed just high of the crossbar.
Ayo Akinsete then added an insurance goal for South Carolina (1-1) when he took a one-on-one opportunity down the left side to beat Terrier keeper Joey Taylor. The Wofford defense had committed a turnover near the midfield line, which gave the visitors the chance.
Sophomore forward Thomas Coley provided the final scoring chance for the Terriers when he sent a shot from the right side just past the far post.
Gamecock goalkeeper Mike Gustavson collected one save in his first shutout of the season. Taylor stopped four visitor attempts.
Wofford will resume its season at 2 p.m. Saturday when it battles Winthrop as part of the Broyhill Inn & Conference Center Appalachian Classic in Boone, N.C. The Terriers are also slated to face Western Kentucky in the four-team tournament, hosted by fellow SoCon foe Appalachian State.