HARTSVILLE, S.C. - The No. 4 Coker University men's soccer team (7-0-0) (2-0-0) rolled past Tusculum University 3-1 in the home conference opener today (Sept. 25). This win ties the program record for the best start, matching Paul Leese's 2009 Coker team.

Both teams would go into the half scoreless, with the Cobras defense only facing four shots in the first 45 minutes of play.

Coker would get on the board early in the second half when Che Richards would score inside the box from Jacques Fokam-Sandeu's pass in the 54th minute of play. In the 67th minute, Gustavo Palmieri would take the ball from midfield to inside the penalty box, blowing past several Tusculum defenders before scoring from 16 yards out to put Coker up 2-0. Fokam-Sandeu would score just over two minutes later in the 69th minute off of a penalty kick, putting Coker up 3-0.

The Pioneers would prevent the shutout by scoring in the 88th minute of play to bring the final game score to 3-1.

Jasper Rump (7-0-0) picked up his seventh collegiate win between the pipes, the Cobra backline played superb, only seeing 10 shots in 90 minutes of play. The Coker offense would outshoot the Pioneers 21-10.

The Cobras (7-0-0) return to action next Wednesday (Sept. 29) to host Lenoir-Rhyne in conference action. Kick-off is set for 7:00 p.m. from the Coker Athletic Field, with video and live stats available at www.cokercobras.com.

McDonald's Player of the Game - Gustavo Palmieri