MT. PLEASANT, S.C. - The College of Charleston women's soccer team fell to a 102nd-minute stunner which lifted Cincinnati to the 3-2 sudden-victory, double-overtime win at Patriots Point on Friday night.

The Cougars (3-3-0) forced overtime when they equalized late in the match off a free-kick strike by Francesca Kentimenos (Stony Point, N.Y.) but Cincinnati (3-2-2) iced the game in the second overtime.

"This was a fantastic match between two great teams battling, attacking and defending," said head coach Christian Michner. "The commitment on both sides of the ball by our players was amazing. We didn't win the game but I think we took a huge step forward and we know that we can battle like this with teams from the Big East. We can battle with teams from the ACC and the SEC and not be content with stepping on the field but know that we can come out and get great results."

The stat sheet exposes the teams' equality with a narrow, 20-16, shot advantage going Cincinnati's way as well as an even 6-6 save count. The teams both displayed a physical brand of soccer with 24 fouls blown and four cautions drawn.

The Cougars snatched the game's first lead when Sarah Cardamone (Downingtown, Pa.) played a 60-yard ball down the middle of the pitch towards the Bearcats' box. Hope Atkinson (Rumson, N.J.) was the first to run onto it and was able to lift the ball over charging Cincinnati keeper Kristina Utley.

Mackenzie Grause and Jazmine Rhodes connected with each other on all three of the Bearcats' goals. The first came in the 24th minute when Rhodes athletically kept a ball inbounds near the corner and played it back across the endline and Grause headed it off the crossbar and into the net to equalize the match.

In the 78th minute, Grause returned the favor when she threaded a ball into the box and Rhodes got her boot to it to deflect the ball past a fully extended Taylor Avery (Clifton, Va.).

With time winding down on the Cougars, Kentimenos was awarded a free kick from an inviting spot at 25 yards. Kentimenos blasted the ball to the left of the Bearcat wall and bent it into the side netting to equalize the match once more with roughly 10 minutes remaining.

After a quiet close to regulation and opening 10-minute overtime, the Bearcats netted the game winner in the second minute of the second overtime. Grause collected the ball on a long run and attempted to beat Avery who was able to muffle the point-blank rip but the rebound unfortunately trickled to Rhodes who wouldn't miss the open-net opportunity.

The Cougars will look to regroup when they close the College of Charleston Cup on Sunday, Sept. 11 against Old Dominion. Kickoff for the match is slated for 2:30 p.m.

"Now our focus turns to Sunday with Old Dominion who is a very good team coming off a couple wins," said Michner. "We'll have to have our heads on straight but I know our players will come out prepared and ready to have a win.

"ODU is a good team; an athletic team who plays a similar style to us. They're good at getting on balls over the top so we'll have to make sure we're as tuned in as we were tonight. We have to take our chances. We scored two good goals tonight and we'll look to score more than that on Sunday."

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