2009 Season Review

Overall Record: 11-10
- NSCAA/adidas South Regional Ranking- #7
- Southern Conference Regular Season- 2nd place (5-2)
- Southern Conference Tournament Semifinalists
- NSCAA and CollegeSoccerNews.com Top 25 Rankings- September 14, September 21
- Nike/Aaron Olitsky Memorial Soccer Classic Champions
- Diadora/Spinx Furman Invitational Champions
- 1st Team All Conference- Matt Morris, Sean Flatley
- 2nd Team All Conference- Zach Prince
- All Freshman- Shawn Ferguson, Frannie Twohig, Ralphie Lundy
- CollegeSoccerNews.com Team of the Week- Sean Flatley
- SoCon Players of the Week- Steven Nagy, John Bello, Frannie Twohig

Knight Finalist for USL-1 Rookie of the Year

Wes Knight, a former College of Charleston standout, was honored yesterday as one of three finalists for the USL-1 Rookie of the Year award. Knight signed with the Vancouver Whitecaps after a very successful MLS Combine. After a few offers from MLS and USL-1 teams, Knight decided that Vancouver would give him the best opportunity to play on a competitive team immediately. In 2008, the Whitecaps captured the USL-1 Championship defeating Puerto Rico. This year they again find themselves in the USL-1 Finals vs. Montreal.

Knight expressed, "It's an extremely exciting time for me to have been named a finalist for Rookie of the Year. It has been a tremendous adjustment from the college game and I'm proud to have been able to make an impact for the Whitecaps. As great as this honor is for me, it doesn't compare to the excitement that being in the finals brings. The team has peaked at the right time and we are confident to defend our title."

The Easley, South Carolina native was the USL-1's joint assist leader alongside Minnesota Thunder midfielder Ricardo Sanchez after recording eight assists in 29 regular season appearances for the Whitecaps. Knight was named to the league's Team of the Week on the three occasions during the season.

Congrats Wes, we're pulling for you!

Justin Fojo's Philadelphia Blog

Justin is a junior midfielder from Port-of-Spain, Trinidad and boasts one of the teams top GPA's with a 3.8!

Thursday:
When we arrived in Philadelphia, the temperature was the first thing we all noticed. We all all immediately went for our "hoodies" and "CofC jackets." Taking that first breath of coolness suddenly set the mood for this trip. We started off admiring the old factories and historic ports thinking to ourselves of the history before us. After getting a bite to eat we met at the Independence Square downtown, seeing statues of Willam Penn, the Liberty Bell, and the lovely infrastructure within the city. My mates and I visited the famous "Rocky" memorial near the art museum and quickly emulated the great Rocky Balboa by running up the long flight of stairs, hoodies on and boxing thin air. It was great!

Friday:
Waking up buzzing with excitement for our new challenge the vibe seemed right, sharp and proper. We visited the wonderful Lehigh facility and were somewhat skeptical about the type of grass we weren't accostumed too. This night was slippery! We started off the game extremely flatfooted and slow to every ball. We did not high pressure like we can and as a result were being dominated for much of the first half. We came out in the second half fighting, hungry as ever and were starting to take control. We were winning air balls, playing more direct and keeping the ball in the attacking third and midfield. The night ended in a 2-3 loss but we went down fighting! We had to think about our next challenge....and that was it.

Saturday:
Sleep, recover, replenish, rehydrate and focus was my theme for the next day. It was great relaxing with my roomie Steven Nagy, listening to music, watching the tele and reading the autobiography on Steven Gerrard my coach suggested that I read! Eating good meals was great too, everyone on the team knows I can put down anything in front of me, I get jokes from the boys all the time. I got a chance to meet with Vernon Skinner, a man with a lot of football knowledge. He gave me advice on how to be a better player and how psychological the game can be. It was great talking to him! Night fell and my thoughts were purely about winning the game tomorrow.

Sunday:
We knew we had to get the "W" this game, that's why we flew up for this trip, to win! Entering Bucknell's facility my jaw dropped, I had never seen such a quality College level facility. This game was a true test of our commitment and devotion to our team. There was a lot to play for against Bucknell as our school's President and Athletic Director took the time to come see us play! It was an honor to play in front of President Benson and Joe Hull and get the result we wanted. I was humbled by this whole experience and it will definitely be a trip I always remember.

Cougars move to 5-0!

This past weekend we traveled to Greenville, SC and won the Furman Diadora/Spinx Invitational with wins over North Florida and Florida Gulf Coast. With the two wins we pushed our record to 5-0 on the season!

In the first match vs. North Florida we dictated the play early and Kareem Yearwood would create our first goal by outpacing the Osprey defense only to be brought down by their keeper for a penalty. Matt Morris stepped up to the spot and blasted home the penalty to give us a 1-0 lead. Sean Flatley then got forward from the left back position, collected a beautiful pass from Morris, and slammed home our second goal of the night. The final goal would come through Ralph Lundy dribbling past multiple defenders, playing a one-two with Yearwood, and calmly tucking the ball home. Goalkeepers Clark Hankins and Michael Flato combined with a solid Cougar defense for the 3-0 shutout win.

In the second match we faced a tough Florida Gulf Coast side, which tied Furman 2-2 in their first match. The first half saw us have better possession and more chances as we outshot our opponent 8-4. Unfortunately we failed to convert our opportunities and went into halftime tied at 0-0. Just three minutes into the second half Frannie Twohig slotted a great ball to Geordi Khoury who gave us the 1-0 lead. Florida Gulf Coast would find the equalizer at the 71st minute and the scored remained tied at 1-1- going into overtime. In double overtime Matt Morris earned us a free kick 22 yards out. Ralph Lundy stepped up and drove in a low shot that was followed up and finished by Twohig for the winner.

Furman Diadora/Spinx Invitational MVP Awards/All-Tournament Team
Offensive MVP- Matt Morris
Defensive MVP- Branko Gavric
All-Tournament Team- Justin Fojo, John Bello, Clark Hankins

Cougars Recognized on CollegeSoccerNews.com

College of Charleston junior Sean Flatley was named to the CollegeSoccerNews.com Team of the Week. This team highlights the top eleven performers in the nation. Congratulations Sean!

Our team also received votes to be in the Top 25 from CollegeSoccerNews.com. Hopefully we will continue to have success and push into the Top 25 next week.

Go Cougars!

Cougars Win Nike/Aaron Olitsky Memorial Soccer Classic

Today we knocked off a very good Old Dominion team to capture the 2009 Nike/Aaron Olitsky Memorial Soccer Classic.

Old Dominion came out very determined. They mixed a style of possession and power that were very tough for us to cope with in the first 15 minutes. At the 22nd mark of the first half senior John Bello notched his second goal of the year and this gave us some confidence throughout the rest of the half.

In the second half our defending was rock solid. We were determined all over the field to fight for one another and preserve the shutout. This is what won us the match. With 5 minutes remaining in the match Kareem Yearwood tallied his second goal of the year and sealed the win for the Cougars.

"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."

Congratulations to Sean Flatley for being named the Hertz, McKay, Magel 2009 MVP award.

All-Tournament selections for the Cougars: Kareem Yearwood, Zach Prince, Branko Gavric, Shawn Ferguson

Cougars Win Opener

Tonight we opened up our 2009 season with a 4-3 defeat against Coastal Carolina at Patriots Point in front of a tremendous crowd of 1,200!

The match was a little sloppy and a tale of two halves. The first half saw the Cougars jump out to an early lead five minutes into the match off a goal by Sean Flatley. With less than 10 minutes left in the first half, Zach Prince took on two defenders and served a low cross that was met by Steven Nagy to push the score to 2-0. Throughout the majority of the first half, Charleston maintained the majority of possession and outshot the Chanticleers 8-2.

The beginning of the second half started well, as Kareem Yearwood finished a penetrating thru pass by Jake Helmig five minutes in to make it 3-0. Coastal Carolina did an excellent job of maintaining their focus and picked up the pressure on the Charleston defense. This pressure led to two penalties, both converted by Riley Phelps. At 3-2, John Bello tucked in a brilliant one touch pass from Prince to make the score 4-2. Coastal would not go away, as they answered with another Phelps goal with 10 minutes remaining.

"In the first half, we were very focused and we did a terrific job on both sides of the field," said head coach Ralph Lundy. "You have to give Coastal a lot of credit for not giving up after being down 3-0. I thought we lost our focus, but regardless if it's 4-0 or 4-3, it's a win and it's a great way to start the season."

Former Cougar Ready For USL-2 Championship

In his second professional season with the Charlotte Eagles, Darren Toby is ready to capture a league championship. This Saturday he will get that chance as the Eagles take on the Richmond Kickers at the University of Richmond Stadium at 8:00 PM. It be played on Fox Soccer Channel at 11:00 PM on tape delay.

Charlotte came close to winning in 2008, but fell short in the finals against Cleveland City. For Toby, this will be the ultimate stage to avenge the 08 loss and secure the league title. "First I just want to say that I'm blessed to be playing in the championship game, because not everyone has the opportunity to play in a USL finals," said Toby. "I'm excited and confident that my teammates and I are going to put our best foot forward. At the same time, I'm very humble and determined after losing in the finals last year."

Over the past two seasons Toby has been a staple in the Charlotte first eleven at the central midfield position. He ranks in the top three in overall minutes played for the Eagles this season. Eagles Head Coach Mark Steffens expressed, "Darren has been a joy to have on the team. His biggest strength is his ability to keep possession. He is so good with the ball that our guys make jokes about him having an off day when he makes one errant pass in training. His great possession rate in the back half of the field make it very hard for teams to press us because he helps us break pressure so easily. The second half of the season he has come on strong as a ball winner. We now put him on the other teams best attacking MF and Darren usually shuts him down. He has also really developed as a player who wins almost every aerial battle he encounters. I believe he is one of the top midfielders in the USL.
Of course he needs to have one more great game for us to win it all."

Best of luck and we are pulling for you Toby!

Southern Conference Preseason Poll/All Conference Nominations

The College of Charleston men’s soccer team was picked to finish in a tie for second in the 2009 Southern Conference Preseason Poll as voted on by the league’s eight head coaches. The Cougars garnered 40 votes in the balloting and two first place votes, placing them in a tie with Furman.

Meanwhile, forwards Matt Morris (Anderson, S.C.) and Kareem Yearwood (Sou Sou Lands, Tobago) were named to the Preseason All-Southern Conference team. For Yearwood, this marks the second consecutive season that he has been named to the Preseason All-Conference squad.

Coach Lundy expressed, "This is great recognition and respect for Kareem and Matt, as well as our program. To have two players nominated for all-conference and our team picked to finish 2nd is a good thing, but with this recognition comes expectations. We must meet these expectations and then go beyond them."

Yearwood stated, "I feel honored to be mentioned in the preseason all conference team. I'm excited for the new season ahead. We have a good team again this year and should definitely be contending for the Southern Conference championship at the end of the year."

Defending regular season SoCon champion Elon was voted first in the poll after receiving 44 votes and four first place votes, while defending SoCon Tournament champion UNC Greensboro was slotted in fourth position with 33 votes.

The Cougars return 14 letterwinners and 10 starters from a season ago. Last year, the Cougars with a record of 11-10 overall, 3-4-0 in the conference and advanced to the finals of the Southern Conference tournament.

Morris, a senior, has served as one of the team’s Co-Captains for the last two seasons. In 2008 Morris still ended the season as the team’s statistical leader with 19 points and nine goals despite having to battle several injuries. For his career, Morris has scored 16 goals and recorded six assists.

Yearwood, also a senior, has been one of the conference’s top goal scorers the last two seasons, registering 18 goals (eight of which were game-winners). Last season, Yearwood scored seven goals and for his efforts was named to the All-Southern Conference and All-South Region team for the second consecutive season.

Charleston opens their 2009 season on Tuesday, Sept. 1 when they take on Coastal Carolina at Patriots Points Soccer Stadium. Game time is set for 7 p.m.

Branko Gavric Interview

Q & A with Branko Gavric

Cougars Co-Captain talks to CofCsports.com

Aug. 24, 2009

CHARLESTON, SC. – Charleston men's soccer junior Branko Gavric is one of the Cougars top returning players for the 2009 campaign. As one of three captains selected by his teammates, Gavric will be called on to lead the Cougars in the 2009 campaign.
CofCsports.com recently spoke to the junior midfielder about the upcoming season.

Q. What's the atmosphere like on the field with the team?

A. It is very competitive as guys are fighting for spots. The coaching staff has done a great job giving everyone an equal chance to show what they’ve got.

Q. What's been your motivation coming into your Junior season?

A. I want to win championships this year. I just want our team to get better everyday and go as far as we can possibly go. We have a ton of talent this year and a schedule that will test us as we play the last two national champions.

Q. How does the team get over a tough loss to UNC-Greensboro in the ’08 Southern Conference Final?

A. The best way to get over the loss is to learn what we did wrong and learn from it. I feel that every great team has to experience a tough loss before becoming a championship team.

Q. The team has three big home games against Coastal Carolina, Air Force, and Old Dominion to open the season. What is the team looking to do in the first week of the season?

A. We need to win all three games as it will set the bar for the month of September when we are on the road for the majority of the month.

Q. What is Coach Ralph Lundy like on the field?

A. Coach Lundy tells it like it is. You always know what you’re doing wrong and what you’re doing well because he will be the first to tell you. As a player, you can’t ask for much more than that because that’s the best way to get better.

Q. What is it like to see your former teammate Wes Knight with the Vancouver Whitecaps?

A. I am so happy for Wes and that he is doing well. He has put so much time and effort into becoming the player he is and it’s only fitting that he gets rewarded for that by playing professionally.

Q. How excited are you to return to Patriots Point?

A. I can’t wait to show everyone what we can do. Everyone on the squad is on the same page and with the group of returning players along with the new additions, we will have a very good team.

Knight Back in Charleston

Tonight our team had the pleasure of watching Wes Knight and Keith Wiggans compete versus one another as the Charleston Battery hosted the Vancouver Whitecaps. The match ended in a 1-1 tie and Wes tallied the assist for the Whitecaps!

Knight expressed, "It was incredible to be back in Charleston and feel the support of all my former teammates and friends. Having two cougar alumni on the pitch made the already heavily anticipated night special, while adding an assist was the icing on the cake for me personally. I'm truly proud to have been a Cougar and can't wait to follow the 09 Cougars on their road to the championship!"

It was exciting to watch Wes and see how his game has matured over the last year since graduating. This was his first time back to Charleston since being drafted by the Whitecaps in February. Coach Lundy and I had a chance to catch up with Wes after the game and not much has changed! His passion for the game is unmatched and he's a great example for each of our current players to model themselves after, both on and off the field.

Great to see you Wes, keep up the great work!

Are You Fit?

It's that time of the year again and 2009 promises to be exciting for the Cougars! The players have reported back to Charleston and, after a few meetings, the first order of business was our fitness test. This allows the coaching staff to measure the preparation of each player coming into the start of the season.

This years test was a series of shuttle runs. Each player had to complete 12 runs within a given time frame. The test results were very solid overall. Out of our 30 player roster, we had 21 players pass 12/12. Two players couldn't participate due to injuries that they carried coming into preseason.

The test was broken up into 4 groups and below were the top performers from each group.

Group 1: Jake Helmig, Steven Nagy, Matt Morris
Group 2: Sean Flatley, Justin Fojo, Branko Gavric
Group 3: Wes Murphy, Andrew Autenzio, Rudi Hellberger
Group 4: Robbie Benson, Shawn Ferguson, Tyler Vukoder

2009 Recruiting Class Ranked #37 in the Nation

Our 2009 recruiting class was recognized as one of the Top 40 recruiting classes in the nation today by CollegeSoccerNews.com. Coach Lundy stated, "We knew our freshmen class would be very solid and this ranking confirms our expection. This is a great honor for our program."

Go Cougars!

For a complete list of the Top 40 Recruiting Classes, visit http://www.collegesoccernews.com/index_files/Page2463.htm

Wiggans vs. Gilstrap

Remember these two old boys? Former Cougars Keith Wiggans ('04) and Hunter Gilstrap ('05) will square off in goal at Blackbaud Stadium when the Charleston Battery take on Cleveland City Stars at 7:30 PM tonight.

Gilstrap has had a fantastic season for Cleveland this year and has been selected to the USL-1 Team of the Week two times. He carries a 1.7 Goal Against Average through 17 games, making 71 saves. Gilstrap came to the College of Charleston for his senior year after transferring from Clemson University. As captain, he led the Cougars to big wins vs. Brown University, University of Penn, and University of South Carolina in 2005. Gilstrap is excited for his return to Charleston and expressed, "These are the games I look forward to the most. There's nothing more exciting than playing in front of friends and family in a place I love. I think Charleston is my favorite place to play and that's largely due to the great experience I had at the College of Charleston."

Wiggans has also done very well for the Battery this season playing behind Dusty Hudock, who has only given up a stingy 5 goals throughout the entire season and collected 12 shutouts. When called upon Wiggans has been very solid, getting big results against Carolina, Austin, and Rochester. "It will be a tough game tonight after returning from the West Coast yesterday. If we come out and play well, there is no reason for us not to earn a much needed three points," Wiggans conveyed about playing tonight.

Come out tonight and watch these two compete. The Cougar Soccer family is proud of you both!

Prince represents Cougars in PDL Finals

Senior midfielder Zach Prince was in the team for the PDL final last night with the Chicago Fire. The Fire came up a little short in a 2-1 loss to Ventura County in Los Angeles, CA last night. Congratulations to Prince and the Chicago Fire for making a great run. This league is highly competitive and provides players a great opportunity during the summer to stay sharp.

Last season former Cougars Scott Milroth, Jeremy Gold, and Casey Gold won the PDL championship with the Thunder Bay Chill.

Knight on Fox Soccer Channel

Congratulations to Wes Knight who played the full 90 again last night on Fox Soccer Channel. The Vancouver Whitecaps got a big away victory at Rochester to move into 6th place in the USL First Division. Keep up the great work Wes!

Incoming Freshmen Receive High School Honors

ESPNRise.Com Magazine published its 2009 High School All-American list and four incoming freshmen were on the honored! Robbie Benson and Shawn Ferguson, both from Northwestern High School, were selected as 1st Team All-Americans. Ralphie Lundy, from Wando High School, was a 2nd Team All-American selection while Michael Coleman, from Parkview High School, was also a 2nd Team All-American selection.

Head Coach Ralph Lundy expressed, "This is a prestigious honor for each of these players. For the Cougars to have 4 All-Americans coming into our program speaks volumes about this recruiting class. We look forward to getting our season started in a couple of weeks and want 2009 to be special."

http://sports.espn.go.com/highschool/rise/soccer/news/story?id=4364443

Discoveries SC Crowned National Champions!

Incoming Freshmen Frannie Twohig, Geordi Khoury, Ralphie Lundy, Robbie Benson, Shawn Ferguson, and Tyler Vukoder captured the USYSA U18 National Championship with Discoveries Soccer Club today in Lancaster, MA. Discoveries matched up with Region II winner Javanon (KY) in the finals and went on to win 2-1. With this win, Discoveries becomes the first ever South Carolina club to capture a USYSA National Championship!

The six incoming Cougars all stepped up at different times throughout the tournament to help push their team to victory.

In the first match, Discoveries defeated the Region IV Champion WSM International (OR) 3-2. Shawn Ferguson tallied a goal while Ralphie Lundy provided 2 assists in the effort. Geordi Khoury provided excellent play down the wing and had the WSM on their heels in the early stages of the game. Frannie Twohig stepped into the center midfield role and did an excellent job of creating opportunities for his teammates.

In the second match, Discoveries made a statement to the rest of the field in their 8-1 win over the Region I Champion East Fishkill Thunder (E-NY). Ralphie Lundy was tabbed "Star of the Day" by ESPN Rise Magazine after he tallied 4 goals.

In the final match of preliminary play, Discoveries defeated Region II winner Javanon (KY) 4-2. Left back Robbie Benson got on the score sheet after making a brilliant overlapping run around Lundy, who provided the assist on the play.

The championship match saw Discoveries defeat Javanon 2-1. Robbie Benson tallied two assists in the left wing back position, while Tyler Vukoder was instrumental in locking down the Javanon attack.

Quotes from Coach Lundy and the players:

Coach Lundy- "This is a great milestone for South Carolina youth soccer and we couldn't be happier to have these 6 players coming to be Cougars."

Tyler Vukoder- "It's an unbelievable accomplishment and I shared it with the 14 best players and friends I could ever have."

Geordi Khoury- "This is where all the hard work finally pays off. I couldn't be happier!"

Robbie Benson- "We tried for five years to make it to Nationals and win it and our last year we finally did it."

Shawn Ferguson-"We all worked really hard to get to this point, it is so fulfilling to have so much success after all we have experienced as a team."

Ralphie Lundy- "The experience with this team and these players was truly amazing. This is something that this group of guys, especially the ones that are coming to Charleston to play together, will never forget."

Frannie Twohig- "I'm so glad we were able to win the National championship, not only for myself but for all the other 14 players on the team that have become my brothers over the years."

Wes Knight In Action

Former Cougar Wes Knight played the full 90 last night for the Vancouver Whitecaps in a 4-2 win over the Puerto Rico Islanders. The Islanders were at the top of the table in the USL First Division before last nights match.

I'm so proud to see Wes playing at such a high level and having so much success in his rookie season. He has played in 19 matches and started 17 of those! Wes has also added 4 assists from the right back/right wing position.

Keep up the great work Wes and continue to represent the College of Charleston!

Troy Lesesne
Assistant Coach

Incoming Freshman in National Championship Match

After going 3-0 in the round robin play at the USYSA National Championship in Lancaster, MA, Discoveries Soccer Club has earned a spot in the National Championship match this Sunday!

Cougar freshman Ralphie Lundy, Tyler Vukoder, Robbie Benson, Frannie Twohig, Shawn Ferguson, and Geordi Khoury have each been instrumental in helping Discoveries defeat the best teams in the country.

In the first match, Discoveries defeated the Region IV Champion WSM International (OR) 3-2. Shawn Ferguson tallied a goal while Ralphie Lundy provided 2 assists in the effort.

In the second match, Discoveries made a statement to the rest of the field in their 8-1 win over the Region I Champion East Fishkill Thunder (E-NY). Ralphie Lundy was tabbed "Star of the Day" by ESPN Rise Magazine after he tallied 4 goals.

In the final match of preliminary play, Discoveries defeated Region II winner Javanon (KY) 4-2. Left back Robbie Benson got on the score sheet after making a brilliant overlapping run around Lundy, who provided the assist on the play.

We are so excited to have these new Cougars in a position to win the USYSA National Championship! Best of luck in the final.

Troy Lesesne
Assistant Coach

Tonight I had the opportunity to watch my former teammate and current co-worker, Keith Wiggans start in goal for the Charleston Battery. No matter how many times I step inside the gates at Blackbaud Stadium, I'm always amazed at the venue that we are afforded to watch soccer here in Charleston. The Battery dominated the majority of the match, however Keith was forced to make a big save 5 minutes into the match. On the night he made 2 saves and helped the Battery secure 3 points in a 2-1 win vs. the Carolina Railhawks. With the win, the Battery move into a first place tie with the Puerto Rico Islanders. Congratulations to Keith!

Troy Lesesne

Assistant Coach

Charleston Soccer Blogging!

College of Charleston Men's Soccer is now officially blogging! We are looking forward to the 2009 season. Less than 4 weeks until preseason!