MT. PLEASANT, S.C. - Despite an early goal by ASU's Meggie Graham, Appalachian State women's soccer dropped its Southern Conference opener to College of Charleston, 2‑1, at Patriots Point on Friday evening. With the loss, the Mountaineers drop to 4‑5‑0 (0‑1‑0 SoCon), while the Cougars improve to 5‑4‑0 (1‑0‑0 SoCon) on the season.

"We played great high-pressure soccer tonight," commented coach Sarah Strickland. "We created chances, matched them in shots and had more corner kicks. We created our opportunities but were unfortunate that things didn't go our way."

In the opening minutes, ASU jumped out with several early shots. Sydney Hill was the first to pull the trigger, sending the ball off the crossbar in the game's first minute.

Nearing the 12-minute mark, Hannah Coad fired a shot that CofC keeper Taylor Avery blocked but failed to control. The rebound found Graham who retorted with a shot off the crossbar. With the ball back at Coad's feet, the junior fed Graham who evaded Avery for the first goal of the game and her second of the season.

College of Charleston answered in the 22nd minute. Cougar Sarah Cardamone's shot missed the target, but Sarah Schaidle found the mark to even the score.

At halftime, ASU led in shots, 8-5, but the score remained deadlocked at 1-1.

The Cougars managed their second goal in the 69th minute, as Appalachian keeper Amy Kolowsky could only partially deflect the bending shot of Hope Atkinson. College of Charleston took a 2-1 lead and fought off ASU's subsequent attacks to secure the win.

Kolowsky finished with three saves, while Graham and Hill were each credited with a team-high four shots.

"Tonight was a great match for both sides," added Strickland. "Both teams truly battled for 90 minutes. We are looking to rebound on Sunday. Now we have to turn around and get ready for The Citadel."

The Mountaineers' SoCon road trip continues Sunday with a 2 p.m. game at The Citadel.