In a game that remained competitive until the final whistle, Coastal Carolina men’s soccer fell 2-1 to No. 4 West Virginia University (WVU).
The Chants came out strong, and in the first five minutes, midfielder Loed Klaasen found the back of the net to put the Chants ahead 1-0.
“It felt good to score the first goal and have our team come off strong and play well against the No.4 team,” Klaasen said.
The opening half remained close while both teams had traded chances to score, with a combined six shots on goal.
Coastal stayed strong until the momentum shifted when a CCU foul led to a WVU penalty kick, tying the match 1-1.
“We were the better team in the first 30 minutes, so it didn’t feel great falling off the way we did,” Klaasen said.
The defenses battled into the second half, but WVU managed to break the tie with a goal by Mountaineer midfielder Ethan Dekel Daks to take the lead 2-1.
Coastal’s defense struggled to recover as the Mountaineers took two more shots on goal in the second half.
CCU ended the match in a tough loss against a university now led by former Coastal Carolina President Michael T. Benson.
“I think it’d be awesome if we could beat them. Just to send him the message ‘hey, you shouldn’t have left,” CCU track and field athlete Levi Hoenninger said.
Interim head coach Chris Fidler acknowledged the physical toll of the match while emphasizing the team’s focus on recovery.
“We have to recess since we have 2-3 injuries after this game. So, now we are down to one sub,” Fidler said. “We just have to manage our bodies and see who’s fit and available to play next week.”
With the loss, the Chanticleers move to 1-7-0 overall and 0-4-0 in Sun Belt play. The Chants look to bounce back on the road Friday, Oct. 17, when they face another ranked opponent, No. 11 Georgia Southern University.
