CHARLESTON, S.C. - College of Charleston scored twice in the second half to overcome a penalty shot goal by Vanessa Aponte in the first half, giving the Cougars a 2-1 victory over The Citadel in a women's soccer contest Sunday at WLI Field.

The Bulldogs finished the non-conference portion of their schedule with a record of 4-6. The Citadel opens Southern Conference play at home on Friday at 4 p.m. against VMI.

Aponte put the Bulldogs on the board first in the 14th minute when she converted her second penalty shot attempt of the season. The goal was her fourth of the year and 20th of her career.

Despite allowing the Aponte goal, the Cougars (4-5) controlled play for most of the first half, taking 12 shots to six for the Bulldogs. But Citadel goalkeeper Naomi Carter made eight saves during the opening 45 minutes to keep it a 1-0 game at halftime.

College of Charleston kept the pressure on in the second half and it paid off in the tying goal 10 minutes into the period when Claire Newman headed in a corner kick by Sarah Cardamone. It stayed even until Mary Kate Bowers took a pass from Hope Walker and beat Carter for the game-winning goal.

"Today was a tough loss; we played well during the first half," said Citadel senior and co-captain Karina Schneider. "We will build on this game and continue to play as a team. Our team spirit and ability to learn will help us tremendously as we enter the SoCon part of our season."

The Cougars finished with a 25-13 advantage in shots, with Carter making a season-high 12 saves. The sophomore entered the game ranked third in the nation in saves and increased her season total to 69 with Sunday's performance.