A two-score second period paced the College of Charleston men’s soccer team to a 2-0 victory over Stetson in the finale of the 2008 Saturn of Charleston/Nike Soccer Classic at Patriots Point Soccer Stadium on Saturday afternoon.
“Our boys really came through in the second half after Stetson really had controlled most of the first half,” said head coach Ralph Lundy. “Our team remained focused, organized and very composed, which proves we have an experienced group. I’m very happy to get a win over a good Stetson ball club.”
In the first half, Stetson and the Cougars each had numerous opportunities to score goals, but failed on each attempt as the game went into the second period deadlocked in a scoreless tie.
In the 54th minute, the Cougars broke through when Branko Gavric took a pass from teammate Jake Helmig and scored his first goal of the season to give Charleston a 1-0 lead.
In the 80th minute, Charleston put the game out of Stetson’s reach, when the speedy Kareem Yearwood broke-away from the Hatter defensive unit and easily put away his fourth goal of the season and second score in two games.
Freshman goalie Clark Hankins earned his second shutout victory in as many matches, as he made three saves between the pipes for the Cougars.
Also, several Charleston players were honored with All-Tournament selections for their efforts in the two games: Drew Fuzy, Ryan Kell, Hankins and John Bello. Yearwood was named MVP of the tournament.
In the first game of the day, Alabama A&M came back from a 1-0 halftime deficit to knock off Jacksonville, 2-1.
The Cougars will return to action on Wednesday, Oct.1 when they open Southern Conference play on the road against Appalachian State. The match is set to begin at 6 p.m.