CHARLOTTE, N.C. β Charlotte Men's Soccer hits the road for the first time this season for a match-up with South Carolina set to be held in Columbia, S.C. at 7:00 p.m. at Stone Stadium.
DATE AND LOCATION
ποΈ Friday, September 5
π Stone Stadium // Columbia, S.C.
πΊ ESPN+
π Live Results Link
ποΈ Ticket Link
LAST TIME OUT
Charlotte is most recently coming off a 1-1 tie with No. 13 High Point that occurred last Friday night at the Charlotte Soccer Field.
Charlotte struck first in the matchup, scoring in the 13th minute off a goal from sophomore midfielder Xavier Holloway to give the Niners a quick 1-0 lead.
Quickly after the Charlotte goal, High Point took the ball down the field with an opportunity to equalize, but an impressive save from senior keeper Leonard Stritter kept the game in favor of the Niners. By the end of the first half, Stritter had recorded five saves on five shots from the Panthers.
A little after 70 minutes in, the Niners seemingly took charge once again, sinking another shot into the back of the net, but it was quickly waved off on an offside call.
The Niners' defense maintained its sharpness while the offense kept looking for chances until the 84th minute, when the Panthers found themselves in a goal-scoring situation of their own when their leading goal scorer, Daniel Lugo, scored his third goal of the year to equalize the match at 1-1.
Charlotte maintained aggressive offense for the remaining six minutes and took several shots on goal, but ultimately came up short.
The Panthers outshot the Niners nine to eight, but the Niners recorded more saves, recording six compared to the Panthers' four. Both teams also received two yellow cards.
DEEPER THAN DEEP
In the three matches thus far, 24 of the 26 active players on the Charlotte roster have seen action. 16 of the 24 have seen action in all three. The Niners have also sported three different starting lineups.
GREAT WEEK TO BE A NINER
Both Leonard Stritter and Elias Arsvoll earned American Conference weekly honors after their performances last week against Queens (N.C.) and High Point. Stritter was named American Conference Goalkeeper of the Week after recording 11 saves on 12 chances, and having a career high performance with six saves against No. 13 High Point last Friday. Arsvoll was named American Offensive Player of the Week after having one of the greatest single-game performances in Charlotte Men's Soccer history against Queens on Monday night, which featured three goals and an assist.
NOTABLE STATS AND LEADERS
Elias Arsvoll's seven-point performance against Queens (N.C.) can be noted as the second-highest single-game point performance in Charlotte Men's Soccer history after a 12-point performance from all-time points leader Fernando Sosa in 1979. Arsvoll is also one of two players in the American Conference with a multiple-goal game this season, the other being Fumiya Shiraishi with Missouri State, who scored four goals against Seattle to open up the season.
Natsuki Ogata and Denis Krioutchenkov lead the team in shots with six each, and Ogata leads the team in shots on goal with four.
Out of Charlotte's seven goals scored thus far, five have come from different players. The Niners to score this season are: Elias Arsvoll (3), Natsuki Ogata (1), Orthodoxos Orthodoxou (1), Tate Asante (1), and Xavier Holloway (1). Orthodoxou, Asante, and Holloway have all recorded their first collegiate goals this season.
SCOUTING THE OPPONENT
South Carolina comes into Friday's match sitting at 2-2-0 and is most recently coming off a 3-2 win against fellow American Conference member, FIU.
Notable players for the Gamecocks include senior Ethan Ballek, who currently leads the team in points with six, and leads the team in assists and goals with two each. Mika Habel and Tyler Trimnal have also scored two goals this season, while Matthew DeJianne also has two assists.
In goal, the Gamecocks have looked to sophomore keeper Filip Versterre for all their minutes thus far. Versterre has allowed 10 goals and currently has a save percentage of .474.
SERIES HISTORY
The Niners and the Gamecocks have quite the history, matching up 31 times in the past, with South Carolina leading the head-to-head 15-12-4. The first meeting between the two teams occurred in 1982, which ended in a 1-1 tie. The most recent meeting occurred in 2021 in Charlotte, which saw the Niners come away on top 3-0. Charlotte currently sits on a four-game win streak against the Gamecocks and has not given up a goal since 2017.
UP NEXT
Following Friday's match, the Niners will begin conference play against Tulsa on International Night on Friday, Sept. 12, before hosting Central Arkansas on Wednesday, Sept. 17.
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