HARTSVILLE, S.C. – The Coker Cobras are the Conference Carolinas Men's Soccer Tournament Champions! The nationally ranked No. 5 Cobras defeated the Bobcats of Lees-McRae 1-0 in the tournament final on Sunday afternoon.
Noah Lascell (Myrtle Beach, S.C.) put home the game-winner with an assist from Niko Tirkkonen (Hollola, Finland) just a minute into the second half with a blast from just over the midfield line.
It was a tightly contested, physical game from start to finish with 32 total fouls called between both teams in the match. Coker held the advantage on shots 13-6 and both goalkeepers had four or more saves.
James Sweeney (Huntingtown, Md.) earned his 10th shutout of the season with four saves for the Cobras, while Thomas Rusling had five saves in the net for the Bobcats.
Both Coker and Lees-McRae will now wait to see when and where they will play the NCAA regional tournament. The Cobras are currently ranked No. 1 in the NCAA Southeast Region poll, while the Bobcats are No. 6. The top six teams advance to the tournament that will begin on Wednesday, Nov. 9 with the opening round. The top two seeds will receive a bye until the first round starting Friday, Nov. 11.
Fans can watch the NCAA selection show live online on Monday, Nov. 7 at 7 p.m. on NCAA.com.
Conference Carolinas All-Tournament Team
Tom McReady- Limestone College
Roberto De La Vina- Erskine College
James Smith- Lees-McRae College
Scott Hudgins- Lees-McRae College
Luke Duffy- Lees-McRae College
Alan Cuevas- Coker College
Brendan McCarron – Coker College
Niko Tirkkonen- Coker College
Tyler Staub- Coker College
MVP- Noah Lascell- Coker College
Tournament Champions- Coker College