John Bello and Kareem Yearwood scored goals, as the College of Charleston men's soccer team defeated Old Dominion 2-0 in the finale of the 2009 NIKE/Aaron Olitsky Memorial Soccer Classic on Sunday.
Charleston returns to the pitch on Friday, Sept. 11 when they take on North Florida at the Furman Diadora/Spinx Invitational at 4 p.m.
"Anyone that saw this match today realized how good of a team Old Dominion is," said head coach Ralph Lundy. "We had to step up and play at another level to win and we did just that. I'm proud of the entire team, especially with how hard we fought for 90 minutes."
In the first half, Charleston got on the scoreboard in the 22nd minute, as Bello registered his second goal of the season off a deflection by Old Dominion goalie Evan Newton. The Cougars held on to the lead into the half, as they outshot the Monarchs 5-1 in the period.
In the second half, Charleston continued to control the pace of play and registered an insurance goal in the 81st minute, as Yearwood scored his second goal of the year. Matt Morris recorded an assist on the play, as Yearwood scored from two yards out.
Overall, Charleston outshot Old Dominion 11-6. Cougar goalie Clark Hankins registered his second straight shutout victory after making two saves in between the pipes for Charleston.
In the day's first game, Air Force scored two goals in the first half and hung on over the final minutes to win. With the victory, Air Force improved to 1-1, while Furman fell 1-2.
For the tournament, Cougar defender Sean Flately was named the Hertz, McKay, Magel MVP award, which is named for three Marine Corps Pilots who were killed serving their country during the Vietnam War. Also, four Cougars were voted to the All-Tournament team, Yearwood, Branko Gavric, Zach Prince and Shawn Ferguson.
2009 NIKE/Aaron Olitsky Memorial Soccer Classic All-Tournament Team
College of Charleston
Kareem Yearwood, Branko Gavric, Zach Prince, Shawn Ferguson
Old Dominion
Tommy Webb, Nane Joseph, Bobby Foglesong
Air Force
Kevin Rosser, Jim Gullo
Furman
Fabien Vorbe, Eric Cobleigh
2009 Hertz, McKay, Magel Most Valuable Player
Sean Flatley, College of Charleston