GREAT WIN for the Cougars tonight as they defeat #10 Ohio State 2-1!
College of Charleston Men's Soccer Release
MT. PLEASANT, S.C. -- A goal by Zach Prince in the 80th minute was the difference, as the College of Charleston’s men’s soccer team defeated #10 Ohio State in front of a raucous crowd of 1,015 at Patriots Point Soccer Stadium. The game was apart of the 2008 Aaron Olitsky/Nike Soccer Classic
With the win, the Cougars move to 3-2-0 on the year, while Ohio State drops to 3-1-1.
“When a team comes back they way we did tonight, it shows the type of character you have,” said head coach Ralph Lundy. “This is just a great win against a great Ohio State team. It’s a great victory for our program and this is a night I will always remember.”
In the first half, both the Cougars and the Buckeyes had numerous scoring chances, only to have the defensive units of each team stop every attempt. The stellar defensive efforts by both teams led the game to remain scoreless into the half.
In the second half, Ohio State broke the scoreless tie in the 60th minute after Buckeye Danny Irizarry headed in a goal off a free kick from Andrew Magill.
After Charleston had another scoring attempt stopped, Matt Morris headed in a goal of his own in between a crowd of Buckeye defenders to knot the game up. Jake Helmig was credited with an assist on the play.
It was then that Prince took center stage. In the 80th minute, Ohio State was charged with a foul. Then, Prince took the ball from an official, dribbled past several Ohio State defenders and successfully fired the game-winner into the left corner of the net, causing a wild celebration on the field by the Charleston players.
“After our last game against Bowling Green, Matt’s (Morris) dad came up to me and said that the next goal I scored would be an important one,” said Prince. “That line really gave me a lot of confidence coming into the game tonight.”
From there, the Cougars hung on to record to record their biggest win of the season. Goalie Brendan Smith was awarded the win, after making five saves in goal for Charleston.
In game one of the Olitsky/Nike Soccer Classic, Brown defeated Furman 1-0. David Walls scored the game-winner for the Bears in the 65th minute. Brown improves their record to 2-1 with the win, while Furman falls to 1-3-0.
The Cougars will return to action on Sunday to conclude the 2008 Aaron Olitsky/Nike Soccer Classic when they take on Brown at 2:30 p.m. at Patriots Point. In the first game of the day, Ohio State takes on Furman at noon.
