CCU

Two Coastal Men's Soccer Players Vie for National Title

       

Two Coastal Men's Soccer Players Vie for National Title

Dube and Russell Compete for PDL Championship

LAREDO, Texas – As the 2007 Coastal Carolina men’s soccer season quickly approaches, two Chanticleers will square-off for a chance to repeat as the United Soccer Leagues’ Premier Development League (PDL) national champions. Senior forward Mkhokheli Dube (Bulawayo, Zimbabwe-Pumula) and junior defender Kyle Russell (Elgin, Ill.-St. Charles North) start for the Michigan Bucks, who will battle the Laredo Heat in a repeat of the 2006 championship game, Saturday, Aug. 11 at the UISD Student Activity Center in Laredo, Texas. The contest will be televised nationally on the Fox Soccer Channel at 11 p.m. (EDT).

Dube, a 2006 All-Big South First Team selection and All-Big South Tournament team member, was a key component to the Bucks’ 2006 championship run. The Bucks defeated the Heat 2-1 in front of 7,000 fans, in Laredo, Aug. 13, 2006. Russell joined the Bucks this season after starting for the Chicago Fire Premier a year ago.

In the semifinal match-up, the Bucks downed the Brooklyn Knights 5-4 in penalty kicks after a 1-1 deadlock. The Knights jumped out to an early 1-0 lead, but a goal by Dube in the 33rd minute knotted the game at 1-1. Stellar defense kept the game tied at the end of regulation and the 30-minute overtime period, before the Bucks were able to advance to their second consecutive national championship game.

The Coastal Carolina men’s soccer team is slated to host Duke University, Sunday, Aug. 19, in exhibition action at the CCU Soccer Field at 5 p.m. The Chants are scheduled to open the 2007 season against Florida Gulf Coast University Friday, Aug. 31, at home at 7 p.m.