Charlotte Hosts FIU for Senior Day on Sunday – Charlotte Athletics

CHARLOTTE, N.C. — The Charlotte 49ers (3-9-3, 2-5-1 C-USA) women’s soccer team has its final home match of the regular season on Sunday afternoon (Oct. 23) against FIU (2-7-3, 0-4-3 C-USA) at 1 p.m.

 

The match is Charlotte’s senior day and alumnae reunion. A pregame ceremony honoring the Niners’ seniors will begin around 12:45 p.m. and former players in attendance will be honored at halftime.

 

THANK YOU SENIORS

Seven Niners will be honored prior to Sunday’s match. Kristy Campbell, Ariana Maibodi, Brenna Murray, Nicole Palmer, Julia Patrum, Haley Shand, and manager Selah Gaylor will receive recognition for all the time and effort they’ve put forward for the Green and White over the years.

 

SCOUTING THE PANTHERS

FIU is 2-7-3 on the season and is one of two Conference USA teams that have yet to win a conference match this season. Charlotte has history on its side this weekend as the Niners have a 9-0-0 record against the Panthers all-time. CLT has only conceded five goals in the nine matches and has posted four clean sheets. Nikole Solis leads FIU’s offensive attack with 12 points from six goals, putting her tied for ninth in the league in points and tied for third in goals.

 

LAST TIME OUT

Charlotte nearly pulled off the upset of Conference USA’s top team last Sunday, falling 1-0 to Rice. The 49ers dominated the match from start to finish, outshooting the Owls 25-4 in the contest, including a 9-2 advantage in shots on goal.

 

LOOKING AT THE STANDINGS

The Niners currently sit in eighth place in the Conference USA standings with two matches remaining on the schedule. After hosting FIU (10th place) on Sunday, the Niners will travel to WKU (tied for fifth place) next Friday to finish out the regular season. The top eight teams make the Conference USA Championships, hosted by Charlotte during the first week of November.

 

SHOTS ON SHOTS

Charlotte’s 25 shot attempts against Rice are the second-most the Niners have taken in a match this season and mark the third time CLT has taken at least 20 in a match this year. It’s the most 20-shot matches in a season since having four 20+-shot matches in 2019.

 

BACK-TO-BACK CLEAN SHEETS

Brenna Murray was solid in between the pipes in the two matches the Green and White played at home to finish out September against Louisiana Tech and UTEP. She made the one stop she needed to in both contests to record a pair of clean sheets – the first of her career. It was the first time Charlotte has had back-to-back shutouts against Conference USA opponents since the 2017 campaign.

 

KEEPER OF THE WEEK

Murray was rewarded for her performance in goal that week by being named the Conference USA Goalkeeper of the Week on Sept. 27. She joins Bailey Manfredi as winning weekly awards from the conference this season, marking the first time the Niners have had multiple weekly award winners from C-USA since the 2020-21 season.

 

NATIONAL RECOGNITION

In addition to Murray’s conference award, a pair of Niners earned National Team of the Week honors for their performances that week. Manfredi was named to the Top Drawer Soccer Team of the Week after notching a pair of assists in the win over Louisiana Tech. Haley Shand earned a spot on the College Soccer News Team of the Week after finishing the weekend with three total goals, including her first career brace against UTEP. The duo are the first players to receive Team of the Week honors since the 2019 season (Julia Patrum was named an honorable mention twice during the 2020-21 campaign).

 

MAKING SAVES

CLT is fourth in Conference USA in saves per game, averaging 4.20 stops per contest. The Niners have made 63 total saves on the season, with Emily Keck leading the way with 29 saves (average of 4.14) while Murray has 23 and Emma Wakeman has 11. The 63 saves on the season are the most since recording 68 during the 2018 season.

 

EXPERIENCE RETURNING

Charlotte has a wealth of experience returning to the pitch this season, with 24 letterwinners from the 2021 season returning in 2022 and just three departing. Out of the 11 starters, 10 are on the 2022 squad, with the only loss being starting goalkeeper Abby Stapleton. Two of the key returners are All-Conference-USA Second Team member Piper Biziorek and Third Team honoree and last year’s Team MVP, Kristy Campbell.

 

NEW FACES

CLT has five new players on the roster this season, comprised of four freshmen and one transfer. Hudson comes to Charlotte after spending the past three seasons at Barry where she was a two-time All-Sunshine State Conference selection and an All-Region player last season. Joining her in their first seasons donning the Green and White are freshmen Bailey Manfredi, Ayanna Parker, Maggie Stephens, and Laura Cate Westerbeek.

 

THE HOSTS WITH THE MOST

CLT has the opportunity to host the Conference USA Championships this season, scheduled for November 2-6. The Niners have hosted the C-USA Championships five times before, most recently in 2016 when the Green and White won the third C-USA Championship in program history.

 

UP NEXT

Charlotte finishes the regular season on Friday (Oct. 28) at WKU with a 7 p.m. ET game.