CHARLESTON, S.C. - After back-to-back double-overtime victories, the William & Mary men's soccer team dropped its Colonial Athletic Association opener, 3-1, at College of Charleston on Saturday night. The Cougars scored twice in less than two minutes in the opening half to pick up the victory, while freshman Antonio Bustamante tallied his fourth goal of the season. W&M falls to 3-3-2, 0-1-0 in CAA play, while Charleston upped its mark to 4-3-1, 1-0-0 in league action.

Charleston scored twice in a matter of two minutes in the final 15 minutes of the opening half. The first came in the 31st minute off a corner kick. TK Abderahman played the Cougar corner across the top of the 18 to Nicholas Jeausseran, who sent a shot toward the right post. Junior Mac Phillips got a paw on it to push it off the post, but Hamilton Carlin jumped on the rebound and punched to home to give CofC a 1-0 cushion.

The Cougars increased the lead with a counter opportunity just 1:42 later. From the right flank, Jeausseran sent a diagonal ball into the box to Nico Rittmeyer and he one-time a shot into the left side of the goal, pushing the CofC lead to 2-0 in the 32nd minute.

W&M had a flurry of action in front of the Cougar goal in the 38th minute, but could not find the back of the net. The initial shot of the sequence from Bustamante was blocked by the CofC defense. The rebound spilled over to senior Jackson Eskay, but Charleston goalkeeper Kevin Shields denied the chance. The Cougars held a slim 6-5 advantage in shotin the opening 45 minutes.

The Tribe offense picked things up to start the second half, pushing to draw closer. In the 58th minute, Bustamante sent a free kick from 30 yards out on the left side toward the back post. Junior Reilly Maw got a head to it, but Shields nabbed the attempt out the air near the post.

Just five minute later, the Green and Gold came painstakingly close. Off a bending corner kick from Bustamante, redshirt junior Ryan Perry's header beat the CofC defense, but clanged off the cross bar. Bustamante also had a dangerous free kick chance in the 71st minute, but sent his attempt high of the frame.

With W&M sending bodies forward pushing for a goal, Charleston put the game away with its third marker of the contest. Carlin fed to Adan Noel at the top of the 18-yard box. Noel juked left and back right, before finishing into the left side past a diving Phillips in the 82nd minute.

W&M found the scoring column at the 88:36 mark on a penalty kick. Off a corner kick freshman Marcel Berry elevated for a header, but was knocked off his spot and undercut in the area by a CofC defender, resulting in a Green and Gold penalty kick. Bustamante hammered it home the chance from the penalty spot for his fourth of the season.

For the game, W&M outshot CofC, 17-10, including a 12-4 advantage in the second half. Bustamante led the Tribe with four shots on the evening, while both Maw and sophomore William Eskay had three apiece. The Green and Gold had six corner kicks compared to five for Charleston, including the only three of the second 45 minutes.

Phillips finished with three saves on the night, while Charleston's Shields tallied seven stops.

For the first time in two weeks, the Green and Gold returns to Martin Family Stadium at Albert-Daly Field as they open a two-match home stand. The Tribe welcomes nationally ranked Elon (Sept. 30) and Hofstra (Oct. 3). Both matches are set for a 7 p.m. kickoff.