MT. PLEASANT, S.C. – The College of Charleston women’s soccer team fell, 3-0, to No. 3 Wake Forest in a useful preseason exhibition in front of 192 fans at Patriots Point on Saturday evening.
“Anytime you play a preseason match, you’re hopefully going to take a lot from it,” said head coach Christian Michner. “We certainly tested ourselves against one of the toughest teams in the nation and they proved that tonight. Wake Forest is a fantastic team and has been a great program for a long time.
“We did a great job and certainly learned some lessons along the way that will help us as we head into the season. The team really stepped up from a physical standpoint and wasn’t afraid to step in, tackle, and challenge for balls and impose our presence on the game. That strong defense helps us, even on the attacking side of the ball, and allowed us to get to more balls and have possession of it.”
The exhibition match was split into three 30-minute periods to allow for more on-field adjustments and team coaching. The Cougars seemed to challenge more intently as the game wore on and produced a very strong middle period in which they forced the ball deeper into their offensive third of the field.
The Demon Deacons found the net in the 11th, 27th and 85th minutes. Marisa Park started the scoring when Kristen Meier threaded her through the right side to spring her alone towards goal where she scored to the far side netting.
Jackie McSally collected a ball from Annick McBryar after a Wake corner kick and scored to the uppermost left corner of the net for the 27th minute mark.
CofC silenced the Deacon attack and produced some offensive tries of its own through the middle portion of the match.
In the late minutes, Jackie Logue crossed a ball into the box where Taylor Waters headed it home from six yards out for the ultimate goal of the match.
Cougar keeper Taylor Avery (Clifton, Va.) made five saves in the game, her finest coming on a diving effort to stop a Rachel Nuzzolese free kick taken from 25 yards away.
“This was a chance for us to see a lot of different players in different spots,” said Michner. “We played in several formations that we’re not necessarily real familiar with which will help with our comfort level. I’m real happy with the group and the way they’ve worked throughout preseason. We hope to carry with us the lessons we learned tonight and some of the things we did out on the field.”
The Cougars open the regular season on Saturday, Aug. 18 against UNC Charlotte at Patriots Point. Kickoff is slated for 7 p.m.
