DANIEL ISLAND, S.C. – The College of Charleston women’s soccer team retained bragging rights with a 3-1 victory over crosstown rival Charleston Southern on Friday night at Blackbaud Stadium.

The Cougars (1-2-0) extended their unbeaten streak and possession of the prized Silver Cup in the crosstown rivalry series to 15 consecutive matches. The contest was moved from the CSU Soccer Field to the home of the USL First Division Charleston Battery professional soccer team, due to unplayable field conditions.

Freshman forward Nicole Koretsky (Manalapan, N.J.) opened CofC’s goal scoring by connecting on a pass through the box courtesy of sophomore forward Sarah Cardamone (Downingtown, Pa.) in the 20th minute. It marked her first career goal for the Cougars.

In the second half, Chelsea Frankeny equalized the match for the Buccaneers (1-2-0) with an unassisted goal brought in from the corner and rolling past the dive by CofC goalkeeper Taylor Avery (Clifton, Va.) into the lower left of the net.

Senior midfielder Sarah Schaidle (Simpsonville, S.C.) netted the team’s second goal of the night off the cross from Cardamone which put the Cougars up 2-1 in the 56th minute.

With less than five minutes remaining in regulation, Schaidle iced CofC’s first win of the 2012 season off a failed clear collected at the top of the box and into the upper left corner unassisted.

“Our team was fired up tonight,” CofC Head Coach Christian Michener said. “Anytime you play a crosstown rivalry match, you don’t have to say a lot to get the team ready to play. It was a good chance for us to play at an amazing facility – Blackbaud Stadium. We were really excited to play there and to defend the Silver Cup. We have now won it a number of years in a row, so it was good for us to step-out and really play like we wanted to win it.”

Up next, the Cougars will travel for a much-anticipated road contest at top-ranked Florida State on Sunday, Sept. 2 at 1 p.m. (ET) at the Seminole Soccer Complex in Tallahassee, Fla.

“We are very excited about playing the Seminoles on Sunday,” Michener said. “Our focus all week has been on Charleston Southern and the Silver Cup, which is a very important match for us every year. Now, we can shift our focus to Florida State, who will have a very tough match against Florida tonight. It’s a great chance for us to go and play the No. 1 team in the country at their place. Our kids are extremely excited and we can’t wait to get to Tallahassee.”

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