Davidson Drops First SoCon Road Match to College of Charleston, 3-0

Saturday, October 4

Charleston, S.C.

4:00 p.m.

Davidson College Athletics

2-8-1 (1-1-0SoCon)

College of Charleston

7-4-0 (1-1-0SoCon)

Team	1	2	Final F
Davidson	0	0	0
Coll. of Charleston	1	2	3

Davidson Drops First SoCon Road Match to College of Charleston, 3-0

10/4/2008 7:45:00 PM | Men's Soccer

Box Score

By: Matt Harris - Assistant SID

CHARLESTON, S.C. - A pair of goals in the minutes before and after halftime by the College of Charleston proved to be too much for the Davidson men's soccer team to overcome, and helped lead the Cougars to a 3-0 victory Saturday afternoon at Patriot's Point.

After a first 44 minutes of scoreless play, the two teams looked as if they would head into the half deadlocked at zero, when Sean de Silva's free kick at the 44:11 mark found its way through the Davidson (2-8-1, 1-1-0 Southern Conference) defense and into the back of the net to put CofC up, 1-0. De Silva struck again just under a minute into the second frame, putting in his second goal of the match via a deflection from a Wildcat defender to give the Cougars a two-goal lead.

Davidson head coach Matt Spear saw the timing of those two scores as critical factors in the defeat.

“We call the last two minutes going into halftime and the first minute coming out of the half as critical moments in any match,” said Spear. “To give up two goals in those moments were back breakers. We have to recognize every game is a battle, and we have to be tough in every aspect, especially in those critical moments of the match.”

Despite the two quick scores, the Wildcats battled back, tying the College of Charleston (7-4-0, 1-1-0 SoCon) with five shots as a team in the second half. CofC was able to put in an insurance goal in the 54th minute on Kareem Yearwood's fifth score of the season.

In the first half, Davidson's best scoring chances came from Machel Turner and Charlie Reiter. Turner connected on a nice combination with Yannick Pilgrim, but Turner's shot from eight yards out was saved by the Charleston keeper. Reiter's rocket left foot shot from 15 yards was deflected by a scrambling Cougar defender. Then in the second half Freshman Mark Millard narrowly missed a header that would have pulled the 'Cats back in to contention.

Senior Whitey Bolan and junior Turner led the 'Cats with a pair of shots apiece on the afternoon, with both of Turner's attempts finding the goal. Four other Davidson players had a scoring chance, giving the Wildcats a total of eight for the match. Davidson held a 7-5 advantage in corner kicks as well.

"It did not feel like a 3-0 loss," Spear said. "Giving up just 9 shots on the road against a quality Conference opponent is fine - especially since we achieved 8 shots of our own, plus we had more corner kicks than the opponent. But yielding three goals on just 9 shots proves that Charleston made the crucial game-winning plays. Winning on the road takes an extra level of sharpness in the goal mouth, and Charleston seized the advantages there."

The 'Cats will continue their two-match swing in the state of South Carolina when they travel to Greenville, S.C. on Oct. 10 to take on the Furman Paladins. Kick off for this SoCon matchup is scheduled for 7 p.m.