Saturday, November 6
Mt. Pleasant, S.C.
7:00 p.m.
Davidson College
3
at
1
College of Charleston
Photo by: Tim Cowie - DavidsonPhotos.com
Davidson Defeats CofC to Advance to SoCon Semifinals
11/6/2010 10:27:14 PM | Men's Soccer
MT. PLEASANT, S.C. – Alex Caskey's 30-yard, free-kick goal early in the second half was the difference as the sixth-seeded Davidson Wildcats upset third-seed and regular season conference tri-champion College of Charleston, 3-1, in the first round of the Southern Conference Men's Soccer Tournament Saturday night at Patriots Point Soccer Stadium. Davidson will return to Mt. Pleasant, S.C. and face the winner of Sunday's match between No. 2 seed Furman and No. 7 seed Wofford Friday, Nov. 12 at 7:30 p.m.
Sophomore midfielder Brian McGue (Dublin, Ohio) scored the first goal and Caskey notched the final two goals for Davidson (7-6-6). Kareem Yearwood scored the lone goal for CofC (10-4-3).
“We talked about starting the game with a positive, aggressive style, and our guys came out to play from the opening minute, and that set the tone for the match,” said Davidson head coach Matt Spear.
The Wildcats' first goal came off a counter-attack on a CofC set piece deep in Davidson's defensive zone. Senior forward Yannick Pilgrim (Arima, Trinidad and Tobago) out-ran the CofC defense up the right flank with McGue and junior forward Thomas Zimmerman running to the far- and near-posts, respectively. Zimmerman drew the Cougar defense, and Pilgrim lifted a pass over them to McGue, who one-touched it inside the left post.
CofC had several set-piece opportunities late in the first half, but the 'Cats withstood defensively to take a 1-0 lead into halftime.
Davidson started the second half strong, with Caskey curling a right-footed shot into the left side of the net just over seven minutes in.
“That was simply an example of a special player making a special play,” said Spear. “It was a crucial goal because the two-goal cushion relieved some pressure on us and we did not need to worry about one mistake hurting us.”
The cushion proved valuable, as Sean De Silva threaded a pass into the 18-yard box, where Yearwood was able to one-touch it for a Cougar goal. Davidson answered less than three minutes later though off a Chris Pettiglio (Westford, Mass.) corner kick as Caskey headed the ball in for the final 3-1 margin.
The Cougars held the advantage in shots (18-8) and corner kicks (9-5), but only managed one more shot on goal. Kees Heemskerk made two saves for CofC, while junior Chip Sanders (Thomasville, Ga.) made three saves for Davidson. Both teams recorded defensive saves.
“This win is particularly rewarding for our four seniors,“ said Spear. “And as a team, we talked about playing our best soccer come tournament time, and I am proud we were able to do that tonight.
“We want to congratulate Charleston on a great season, too. They had a talented group of seniors who made them a very difficult team to beat. We are proud to beat a team of their caliber.”
Notes: Mark Millard was originally credited with the final goal, but the decision was changed following video review ... The win ended a tournament drought for the 'Cats, who had not advanced past the first round since 2005 … the Cougars spent a week ranked in the Top 25 nationally and had previously suffered just one loss this year in SoCon play, falling to Furman, 1-0 … Davidson defeated Wofford, 3-0 and played to a scoreless draw against Furman during the regular season.
Sophomore midfielder Brian McGue (Dublin, Ohio) scored the first goal and Caskey notched the final two goals for Davidson (7-6-6). Kareem Yearwood scored the lone goal for CofC (10-4-3).
“We talked about starting the game with a positive, aggressive style, and our guys came out to play from the opening minute, and that set the tone for the match,” said Davidson head coach Matt Spear.
The Wildcats' first goal came off a counter-attack on a CofC set piece deep in Davidson's defensive zone. Senior forward Yannick Pilgrim (Arima, Trinidad and Tobago) out-ran the CofC defense up the right flank with McGue and junior forward Thomas Zimmerman running to the far- and near-posts, respectively. Zimmerman drew the Cougar defense, and Pilgrim lifted a pass over them to McGue, who one-touched it inside the left post.
CofC had several set-piece opportunities late in the first half, but the 'Cats withstood defensively to take a 1-0 lead into halftime.
Davidson started the second half strong, with Caskey curling a right-footed shot into the left side of the net just over seven minutes in.
“That was simply an example of a special player making a special play,” said Spear. “It was a crucial goal because the two-goal cushion relieved some pressure on us and we did not need to worry about one mistake hurting us.”
The cushion proved valuable, as Sean De Silva threaded a pass into the 18-yard box, where Yearwood was able to one-touch it for a Cougar goal. Davidson answered less than three minutes later though off a Chris Pettiglio (Westford, Mass.) corner kick as Caskey headed the ball in for the final 3-1 margin.
The Cougars held the advantage in shots (18-8) and corner kicks (9-5), but only managed one more shot on goal. Kees Heemskerk made two saves for CofC, while junior Chip Sanders (Thomasville, Ga.) made three saves for Davidson. Both teams recorded defensive saves.
“This win is particularly rewarding for our four seniors,“ said Spear. “And as a team, we talked about playing our best soccer come tournament time, and I am proud we were able to do that tonight.
“We want to congratulate Charleston on a great season, too. They had a talented group of seniors who made them a very difficult team to beat. We are proud to beat a team of their caliber.”
Notes: Mark Millard was originally credited with the final goal, but the decision was changed following video review ... The win ended a tournament drought for the 'Cats, who had not advanced past the first round since 2005 … the Cougars spent a week ranked in the Top 25 nationally and had previously suffered just one loss this year in SoCon play, falling to Furman, 1-0 … Davidson defeated Wofford, 3-0 and played to a scoreless draw against Furman during the regular season.
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