BOILING SPRINGS, N.C. - A second-half goal by Big South Player of the Year Djamel Bekka was the only score of the game, as #1 Coastal Carolina knocked off #8 VMI 1-0 in the first round of the 2009 Big South Championships, played Friday in Boiling Springs, N.C.

After a scoreless first 63 minutes, Coastal Carolina's Joe Anderson took the ball away from a Keydet player at midfield. Anderson then slipped a pass through the VMI defense to Bekka in space, who found room to Sowell's right and unleashed a shot right-to-left that beat the VMI keeper for the game's only goal. The Keydets had four more shots the rest of the way, but could not find the equalizer and the Chanticleers pulled out the one-goal win.

With the loss, VMI's season ends at 2-15-1, while Coastal's run will continue at 9-2-6.

Friday's game was a struggle throughout, and began with a flurry from the Chanticleers. Coastal had three corner kicks in the first 1:55, and forced a team save on an Alex Russell header at 1:17. The Keydets had their first shot blocked at the five-minute mark, and that opened the door for another Coastal flurry of corner. The Chants had three more tries from the side over the next 7:30 of action, but could not muster a quality opportunity and the game remained scoreless.

Bekka put a shot just over the crossbar at 14:40, and from there, neither team could muster a good scoring chance until 26:16 when Cyprian Hedrick fired a shot high. VMI's Kyle Farmer had the Keydets' best chance of the opening half, when he missed the net high by only inches in the frame's final moments. The game went to halftime scoreless, with the Russell shot in the second minute being the only shot on goal of the first half.

Anderson missed high just over three minutes into the second, and that set the stage for the game's initial dramatic moment. The Keydets were whistled for a foul in the box, awarding Coastal a penalty kick. Bekka lined up to take the try, but Sowell denied the Chanticleer senior to keep the game scoreless.

The tournament's top seed kept the pressure on, finding two corner kicks and three shots over the next six minutes, but were unable to find the back of the net. David Rochow had a try go wide at 56:36, and the game's next shot was Bekka's goal that gave the Chanticleers a 1-0 lead.

From there, Rochow had another try go wide at 73:06, as did Brian Harding some four minutes later. Farmer had a shot blocked with just under four minutes to play, and Kip Zechman's desperation try in the final minute was high as the Keydets fell just short.

For the game, there were only three shots on goal, the Russell shot in the game's second minute, the Bekka goal and the penalty kick try early in the second half. Sowell was credited with one save on the day, while Coastal netminder Scott Angevine was not required to make a save. Coastal outshot VMI 19-7 on the day, while the Chanticleers attempted 13 corner kicks to VMI's six in the Keydets' final match of the year.