MT. PLEASANT, S.C. – Michaela Herrmann’s 89^th minute goal lifted the College of Charleston women’s soccer team to a 1-0 win over Wofford in the opening match of the Southern Conference season at Patriots Point on Friday evening.

The freshman’s first goal as a Cougar couldn’t have come at a bigger time as overtime loomed with under two minutes remaining in a then scoreless draw.

The Cougars, now 2-6-0 overall but more importantly 1-0-0 in league play, had dominated the entirety of the match but were denied their chances at net until Herrmann’s heroics put CofC back in the win column.

“What a way to win it,” said head coach Christian Michner. “To take three points in the last two minutes of the match is fantastic. I’m extremely proud of how the girls fought tonight for 90 minutes. That’s what it takes; you have to be consistent in this league to earn points.

“Every single match is going to be a battle. Wofford is a fantastic team. They’re extremely organized and they pushed our team to the limit.”

The 89^th-minute goal came after Sarah Schaidle (Simpsonville, S.C.) made a run into the right side of the box and played the ball back into the middle. Maryam Buazza (Katy, Texas) ran to the ball and drew the defense but let it roll through to Herrmann who booted back across the goal mouth and into the far-side netting.

“It was a team effort and we built up the play well,” said Herrmann. “Schaidle played a perfect ball across and Maryam [Buazza] left a perfect dummy and I just hammered it home. We practice that a lot so it was just a perfect finish.”

The Cougars peppered the Terriers with 14 shots in the match while Wofford managed just six. The Cougars’ shots were quality attempts as well with eight being on target.

CofC also won more corners, 4-2, and played a more disciplined brand of soccer by committing just three fouls to the Terriers’ seven.

Taylor Avery (Clifton, Va.) offered a full 90 minutes in goal and made three saves to earn her first shutout of the season. Seven other Cougars played all 90 minutes of the match as well.

Wofford’s best chance came in the 72^nd minute when Evie Kytan headed the ball over Avery’s head but Kate Twohig (Charleston, S.C.) was on the goal line to boot it away and keep the game scoreless.

The Cougars continue league play on Sunday, Sept. 23 by hosting Furman at Patriots Point at 1 p.m.

“You’ll see another battle on Sunday,” said Michner. “Furman is a fantastic program; they have been for a number of years. We know that if we want to position ourselves at the top of the conference we have to win our games and most certainly our home games.

“I expect a major battle but we’ll be playing at home, at Patriots Point, at the place we love, and we’ll be looking to get to 2-0.”

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