College of Charleston - Two Star Class Ranking -  Ralph Lundy has added a nine member recruiting class that will not require a lot of introductions since six of the nine newcomers played together with the Discoveries Soccer Club that won the South Carolina State Cup Championship in 2007 and 2008.  Tyler Vukoder from Tega Cay, South Carolina is among the defenders in the recruiting class with the potential to make an immediate impact.  The Cougars return eight starters from the 2008 team that was 11-10-0 overall with a 3-4-0 mark in Southern Conference play.  The College of Charleston was a somewhat difficult team to get a handle on last year.  When they were on their game they were very good as reflected in wins over the likes of Ohio State, Brown, and Jacksonville and in their season ending run to the championship match of the Southern Conference Tourney via wins over Appalachian State and Elon who the Cougars had lost to during regular season play.  However, at other times they unexpectedly struggled particularly on the defensive side of the ball where they allowed opponents to put the ball in the back of the net a total of thirty-three times over the course of the season.  Some rebuilding will be required on the defensive side of the ball heading into the 2009 campaign due to the graduation of defenders Wes Knight, Drew Fuzzy, and Ryan Kell.  Knight was a Second-Team All-Southern Conference selection and a four-year starter, Fuzzy was a four-year starter, and Kell had two years of starting experience under his belt.  The prognosis for the Cougar attack looks very promising for 2009 with the top four point producers from the 2008 team scheduled to return.  Matt Morris (9g, 1a), Kareem Yearwood (7g, 2a), and Zach Prince (4g, 6a) return up-top to give the College of Charleston a diverse and very potent attack.  Juniors Jake Helmig (1g, 6a) and Justin Fojo (1g, 1a) are among returning midfielders who Lundy will likely count on in 2009 and juniors Branko Gavic, John Bello, and Sean Bateau are among returning backs.  Sophomore Clark Hankins from Montgomery, Alabama returns in goal.  Hankins started thirteen contests last year as a freshman and recorded a 1.23 goals against average and three clean sheets.   The Cougars will be a competitive and soccer savvy team again in 2009 but the fact that their schedule includes ACC foes Wake Forest at home and Maryland on the road means that they will be severely tested.  Throw in the fact that on a given day anyone in the Southern Conference can beat anyone plus you never know when a team in the league is going to get hot as UNC Greensboro did last year when they came from out of nowhere to win the Conference Tourney and several NCAA Tourney matches.  Add all of that together along with the need for a little less porous defense and the end result is what looks to be a very challenging but interesting 2009 season for Lundy’s squad.  Expect a lot of shake and bake from the Cougar attack led by Morris, Yearwood, and Prince but whether or not the 2009 squad will have the toughness and discipline that has been the trademark of the most successful College of Charleston teams in the past remains to be seen. 

 

Preston Myers - McClennanville, South Carolina  - Forward - Lincoln High School - Member AA All-State team -  All-Region selection - Charleston Post and Courier Player of the Year.

 

Ralph Lundy III - Mt. Pleasant, South Carolina - Midfielder - Wando High School - Played for the Discoveries Soccer Club - Member South Carolina ODP team - Region II ODP pool in 2007.

 

George Khoury - Mt. Pleasant, South Carolina - Midfielder - Bishop England High School - Played with the Discoveries Soccer Club - South Carolina ODP Team 2001-2005.  

 

Shawn Ferguson - Rock Hill, South Carolina - Defender - Northwestern High School - Member Discoveries Soccer Club -  Member of South Carolina ODP team.

 

Robbie Benson - Rock Hill, South Carolina - Defender - Northwestern High School -  Member Discoveries Soccer Club - Member South Carolina ODP team 2005-2008.

 

Tyler Vukoder - Tega Cay , South Carolina - Defender - Fort Mill High School - Member of Discoveries Soccer Club - Member South Carolina ODP team - Attended Region III ODP camp 2008.

 

Thomas Winstead - Columbia, South Carolina - Midfielder - Cardinal Newman High -  Member 2008 NSCAA All-South Region Team - All-State selection - Played club with Carolina Elite.

 

Francis Twohig - St. Simons Island, Georgia - Midfielder - Frederica Academy - All State selection - Member of Discoveries Soccer Club - Member Georgia ODP Team 2004-2007.

 

Michael Coleman - Lilburn, Georgia - Defender - Parkview High School - Played club with Gwinnett Soccer Association - Super Y League ODP camp selection 2006 and 2007.