CONWAY, S.C. – The Coastal Carolina men's soccer team suffered its first loss of the 2023 regular season, falling short to the Winthrop Eagles 2-0 at the CCU Soccer Stadium on Thursday night.
While the Chants outshot the Winthrop 15-8 on the night, they were unable to find the back of the net leaving the score settled at 2-0 in favor of the Eagles.
CCU immediately put pressure on the Eagles from the opening kick, taking four shots in the opening 15 minutes of play but none of which challenged the Winthrop keeper.
The Chants outshot Winthrop 7-3 in the opening half and doubled the Eagles at 10-5 on fouls, with Doug Hainer picking up the only yellow card in the 43rd minute.
Winthrop came out fighting at the start of the second period as CCU's Paolo Roditti made two crucial tackles in a one-on-one standoff during the 47th minute to hold the score at 0-0.
The Eagles didn't let off the gas when Joe McGee threatened the CCU defense, drilling a low ball up the middle that landed in the safe hands of the Chants' keeper Kilian Vallant.
The Chants answered straight back with two shots of their own from Deryn Armstrong and Simon Wittmann in the 51st and 52nd minutes, respectively, but could not find the back of the net.
Winthrop's starting forward Ricardo Ferreira was the demise of the Chanticleer squad, netting two goals in the 81st and 85th minutes to give the Eagles a 2-0 lead with just five minutes left to play.
Coastal had one more chance of its own in the 86th minute, when Hainer let one fly but it wasn't enough to threaten the Winthrop defense.
Coastal's Vallant picked up the loss in goal, making three saves off eight shots in the match.
The Chanticleers will be back in action at the CCU Soccer Stadium on Aug. 28, where they will face William & Mary at 4 p.m. ET.
For complete coverage of CCU men's soccer, follow the Chants on social media at @CoastalMSoccer (Twitter), Facebook.com/CCUChanticleers (Facebook), @GoCCUSports (Instagram), or visit the official home of Coastal Carolina Athletics at www.GoCCUsports.com.
