Niners Journey to Greenville for Common-Season Finale to Take On ECU

GREENVILLE, N.C. – The Charlotte 49ers girls’s soccer workforce (9-5-2, 5-2-2 American Conference) is about to tackle the in-state ECU Pirates (6-6-4, 4-3-2 AC) within the common season finale for each squads on Thursday, Oct. 30. Kickoff at Bill Clark Homes Field at Johnson Stadium is slated for 7:00 p.m. and might be considered on ESPN+.
 
HOW THINGS STAND
Charlotte heads to Greenville sitting second within the American Conference standings with 17 factors, forward of each Rice (third, 14 factors) and the Pirates (fourth, 14 factors). With Memphis having already locked up the highest seed within the upcoming Conference Tournament, the Niners have an opportunity to lock up the No. 2 seed with a win or attract Thursday’s season finale.  

SCOUTING THE PIRATES

ECU is led by Emily Buccilla, who’s in her first season on the helm after being elevated to the place in December 2024 following seven years as an Assistant Coach. She has the Pirates sitting at 6-6-4 with a optimistic document in Conference play coming into Thursday after enjoying a key function within the Purple and Gold’s first American Championship and NCAA Tournament look final season.

 

On the heels of a 10-win marketing campaign in 2024, the Pirates need to head into the Conference Tournament on a second straight win. The previous 4 video games have seen ECU endure a pair of crushing losses to UAB (5-2) and Memphis (5-0), however draw 1-1 with Rice and defeat UTSA 2-1 within the squad’s final two video games.

 

ECU is led offensively by 2024 American Conference All-Freshman decide Caitlen-Star Dolan Boodram, who leads the workforce in each targets and assists with 5 every. Isabella Gutierrez is the opposite Pirate with double-digit factors (10) thanks to a few targets and 4 assists. Behind these two, transfers AJ Mayock (4 targets) and Alyssa Tucker (three targets) have additionally offered a spark up entrance of their first seasons in Greenville. The Pirates are backstopped by Olivia Dietrich, who ranks fourth within the American in saves (56) and saves per recreation (4.00) whereas sitting fifth in save proportion (.757).

SERIES HISTORY WITH ECU

Thursday marks the 21^st assembly all-time between the Niners and Pirates, with Charlotte at the moment on prime because of a 10-8-2 document.   The two sides have met 4 instances within the American over the previous two seasons, assembly within the common season and convention match in each 2023 and 2024. Charlotte received each matchups in 2023, however had been held to a draw and 2OT loss in 2024.

FEEL THE BYRNE, OFFICIALLY!

Sinead Byrne was formally elevated to Head Coach of the Charlotte girls’s soccer program on Friday, Oct. 17 after serving underneath the interim tag since April 2025. Having initially arrived within the Queen City as an assistant coach in January, Byrne’s management on the helm of this system has overseen a optimistic transformation on and off the pitch because the Niners have greater than doubled final season’s win whole (4) and objective tally (13) in her first season. Picked to complete 10^th within the American Conference Preseason Coaches’ Poll, Charlotte is now second heading into the common season finale.  

 

Now formally the sixth head coach in program historical past at Charlotte, Byrne has been capable of replicate the success she had on the Savannah College of Art and Design as an assistant and later as affiliate head coach. Under her steering the Bees received back-to-back Sun Conference common season and match titles in 2023 and 2024, together with the 2024 NAIA Women’s Soccer Championship. Byrne and the workers at SCAD had been tabbed because the 2024 NAIA Coaching Staff of the Year, having developed two First-Team All-Americans and the United Soccer Coaches NAIA Player of the Year throughout their title run.

LEADERS ON THE SEASON

Megan Bradley leads the Niners with 19 factors, having discovered the again of the online seven instances to associate with a team-high 5 assists as nicely. Naroa Domenech (5 targets, three assists) and Evie Craven (5 targets, two assists) are the opposite two Niners with double-digit factors, sitting on 13 and 12 respectively. Tied with Domenech with three assists are each Grace Keighley and Landry Olson, whereas Amelia Brown sits third on targets with three.

 

MILESTONE WATCH HEADING INTO THE REGULAR SEASON FINALE

• Byrne’s squad has an opportunity to win its 10^th recreation this season on Thursday and would grow to be the primary to take action because the 2019 facet completed 13-6 in C-USA underneath John Cullen.
• Currently 5-2-2 in Conference motion, a win on Thursday would imply that the 2025 squad turns into the primary since 2019 (seven) to succeed in the six-win mark and can be the second time it is occurred because the 2010 season.
• This season already marks Charlotte’s finest convention document since becoming a member of the American.
• Four of Charlotte’s six Head Coaches in program historical past have received double-digit video games of their first seasons; Byrne has an opportunity to grow to be the fifth.
• If Charlotte locks up the No. 2 seed within the American Conference Tournament with a win or draw on Thursday, it could be the very best the Niners may have been ranked coming into a Conference Tournament because the 2013 season, when the Green and White entered the A10 Championships because the East Division No. 1 seed. It would additionally mark the very best non-division seed the Niners will obtain since 2010, when Charlotte was T-1^st within the A10.
• Bradley’s 19 factors following her objective in opposition to Tulsa makes her the very best scoring Niner in a season since Charlotte joined the American forward of the 2023 season, passing Payton Patrick’s 2023 mark of 18. It’s most a participant has had in a season for the Green and White since 2019.
• Bradley can also be a objective away from matching Tash Hudson (eight) in 2023 for essentially the most targets in a season for the Niners since altering conferences.
• Domenech (13) and Craven (12) even have possibilities at Patrick’s earlier excessive mark of 18 factors.
• Charlotte’s tally of 28 targets this season is one away from matching 2023’s whole of 29; two or extra would make this season the highest-scoring marketing campaign since 2019 (40).

 
FIRING ON ALL CYLINDERS
Charlotte’s 4-0 win over Tulsa on Oct. 26 was the most important outcome for the Niners since a 5-0 demolition of ECU within the American Conference Quarterfinals on Oct. 31, 2023. It was additionally the sixth time that the Green and White have scored three or extra targets this season, matching 2023.
 
TRYING TO BE A-HEAD OF THE PACK
Coming off her third shutout of the season, Harlee Head now ranks third within the American in targets in opposition to common (1.16), fourth in saves (59), and fifth in saves per recreation (3.69). Head has established a number of career-highs throughout her first season in Charlotte, together with a game-high eight stops in opposition to each No. 3 Virginia and No. 4 Memphis.
 
LUCKY NO. 7
Bradley now sits fifth within the American in factors and is driving a seven-game level streak, having scored in 5 of them. She has an opportunity to grow to be the third Niner to hit 20 factors in an American season with a objective or help on Thursday. Meanwhile, fellow England native Evie Craven is in search of to attain in a 3rd straight recreation come the Thursday.
 
WEEKLY HONORS BREAKDOWN

• Charlotte had 4 gamers named to the American Conference Women’s Soccer Weekly Awards record for the primary time since becoming a member of, as Evie Craven (Offensive Player of the Week), Laura Cate Westerbeek (Defensive Player of the Week), and Chloe Salisbury (Freshman of the Week) took house Individual Honors whereas Harlee Head was named an Honorable Mention.
• It’s the second time that Charlotte has had a number of gamers win Individual Awards since Oct. 28, 2024, and the primary time the Niners have had three do it without delay. The final time each the Offensive and Defensive Player of the Week had been each from Charlotte was 2002, when Jenn Howell (Offensive) and Courtney Crandall (Defensive) achieved the feat.
• Charlotte has now been represented 13 instances within the American Weekly Honors this season. Head (thrice), Rory Brown (twice), and Bradley (twice) have made a number of appearances, adopted by Craven, Westerbeek, Salisbury, Domenech, Amelia Brown, and Rachel Logue.
• The 5 Individual Awards received by Niners this season is essentially the most since 2009 (seven). Head (Goalkeeper of the Week) and Rory Brown (Freshman of the Week) are the opposite two together with this week’s three recipients.

 
NEW FIRSTS, NEW CAREER HIGHS

• Bradley, Craven, Amelia Brown, Reese Black, Annabelle Walker, Westerbeek, Rory Brown, Grace Keighley, Landry Olson, Rachel Logue, and Penelope Rich are all constructing career-best seasons by factors recorded.
• Walker (twice), Westerbeek (twice), Rory Brown, and Rachel Logue have scored their first collegiate targets in 2025, whereas Olson (thrice), Keighley (thrice), Black (twice), Rory Brown, and Rich have recorded their first assists.

RP-EYES ON CHARLOTTE
Since starting the season ranked 197^th in RPI (Rating Percentage Index), which components in wins, losses, and energy of schedule, the Niners have rocketed as much as as excessive as 37^th in Division I nationally. Currently sitting 45^th, Charlotte ranks second within the American.

INSTANT IMPACT, ON THE TOUCHLINE AND ON THE FIELD

With one common season video games to go within the 2025 season, Byrne and her workers are in search of Charlotte’s first season with double-digit wins since 2019 and first within the American. Meanwhile, 40/77 (51%) of the Green and White’s factors this season have come from gamers of their first season with the Charlotte program.

JUST NEED ONE

Charlotte is 9-1-2 on the 12 months when scoring no less than as soon as, with the lone defeat coming 2-1 by the hands of USF. The different two non-wins had been 1-1 attracts in opposition to UTSA and Rice.

 

INTERNATIONAL IMPACT

The trio of Bradley (Bollington, England), Domenech (Castro Urdiales, Spain), and Craven (Manchester, England) have mixed for 44 of Charlotte’s 77 factors and sit first, second, and third on the workforce respectively in factors up to now in 2025.

NEW FACES FROM DIFFERENT PLACES

Byrne and her workers have 14 new gamers becoming a member of the squad for the 2025 season, with six transfers and eight freshmen comprising the brand new class. Logue, Olson, Head, and Rory Brown have all been key starters whereas Salisbury and Lauren Buzzell have additionally seen motion within the again line.

Bradley and Domenech have introduced an injection of firepower to the Niners on the offensive facet, with Kate Pratt one other newcomer to have seen recreation motion. Chloe Waddington, Sadie McIllece, Camille Derouen, Kyla Osborne, and Grace Drumgool spherical out this 12 months’s crop of newcomers.

TRIP TO THE SUNSHINE STATE: BOOKED!

Charlotte’s 3-1 win over FAU formally punched the Green and White’s ticket to the American Conference Championships, happening from Nov. 3 to Nov. 9 in Lakewood Ranch, Fla. on the Premier Sports Campus. Eight of the American’s 11 groups will make the journey, which opens with the Quarterfinal Round on Monday, Nov. 3; Charlotte is now trying to preserve place because the second-placed squad within the Conference over the ultimate recreation. The champion and recipient of the automated bid to the NCAA Championships will probably be topped on Nov. 9.

UP NEXT

The Niners gear up for the beginning of the 2025 Postseason, with the Conference Tournament bracket set to be finalized on Thursday night time following the conclusion of the remaining 5 common season video games within the American.