Men's Soccer Beats Charleston 2-1, Wins Second Straight CAA Regular Season Title

Wednesday, November 6

Charleston, S.C.

7:00

Drexel University

8-7-3 (4-2-1CAA)

College of Charleston

4-11-1 (3-3-1CAA)

Drexel

COFC

Photo by: Greg Carroccio

Men's Soccer Beats Charleston 2-1, Wins Second Straight CAA Regular Season Title

11/6/2013 9:11:00 PM | Men's Soccer

Box Score

CHARLESTON, S.C. - The Drexel men's soccer team is back on top. With a 2-1 win at the College of Charleston to conclude their regular season, the Dragons clinched their second-straight and third-ever Colonial Athletic Association regular season championship. The league's top seed heading into next week's CAA Tournament, Drexel will host the semifinal and final rounds at Vidas Field next Thursday and Saturday.

Drexel got goals from Jared Girard and Guido Pena, veterans on the team who had nonetheless combined for just two goals - and one in conference play - on the season. Adam Arana picked up his third assist of the season on Girard's score, and senior Phillip Hagerty earned his first point of the season with the crossing feed on Pena's game-winner.

Freshman goalkeeper Tyler Afflerbach, who has been a steadying force in net since taking over the position early in the season, nearly came up with his sixth shutout of the year. A Cougar goal in the 87th minute was all that marred Afflerbach's stat line on the night, as the Harleysville native finished with four saves to improve his personal record to 8-5-2, and the Dragons' to 8-7-3.

Drexel won the CAA with 14 points, finishing their league slate 4-1-2. They have dropped just two conference games in the past two seasons. The Dragons scored two goals in each of their four victories, and fewer than that in the other three games. Drexel has won all season with timely goals and strong defense, not scoring more than two since a 3-3 draw at Seton Hall on September 1.

The Dragons got on the board just before halftime, with Girard netting his goal in the 42nd minute. Freshman Adam Arana got a foot on the ball in the right corner, hooking it into the box just in front of the goal mouth. The 6'1" Jared Girard leapt and got his head on the ball, poking it past Cougar goalkeeper Kees Heemskerk just 3:09 before intermission.

Drexel would not wait long after halftime to expand its lead. Less than ten minutes in, in the 55th minute, senior Phillip Hagerty broke loose up the right side, bringing the ball into the box. He sent a low cross along the six-yard mark, finding the cutting Guido Pena to give the Dragons a 2-0 lead.

Charleston would score on a frantic scramble in front of the Drexel goal in the 87th minute as Xavier Rajpaul cleared enough space to get a toe on the ball and beat Afflerbach. The Cougars earned a corner with just over 30 seconds to play, looking to tie the game, but could not get themselves a shot. Charleston, which was coming into the game on a two-game winning streak, would have clinched a tournament spot with a win.

As it stands, the Dragons will relax for a week as they await the results of the CAA Tournament first round games to be played on Saturday. No. 3 William & Mary will host No. 6 Hofstra, while No. 4 Delaware will do battle with No. 5 Northeastern in Newark. The winners of those games will advance to the semifinals, to be played on Thursday, November 14 at Vidas Field. Drexel will take on the winner of the Delaware/Northeastern game, while second-seeded UNCW will go up against William & Mary or Hofstra. Times and ticket information for those games have yet to be determined, but fans are encouraged to visit Championship Central on CAASports.com for more information as the week progresses.