#9 Charlotte Men’s Soccer Hosts South Florida Sep 27
With the weather set to subside by tomorrow afternoon, the Charlotte 49ers (5-0-2) are geared up and ready to host South Florida (3-1-4) in American Athletic Conference action Friday (Sep. 27) evening at Transamerica Field.
Friday’s match, scheduled for a 7 p.m. kickoff, will be the conference home opener for Charlotte, the ninth-ranked team in the country, according to the latest United Soccer Coaches Poll.
Niner Nation can purchase tickets to tomorrow’s International Night, HERE. The game will also be broadcast live on ESPN+, HERE, and live statistics will be available, HERE.
THE BASICS
– Charlotte is ranked for the third consecutive week, jumping up to No. 9 from No. 19 in the Coaches Poll. The 49ers are also No. 8 in RPI and No. 20 in the TopDrawerSoccer Poll.
– Friday’s matchup is Charlotte’s conference home opener at Transamerica Field this year. Both teams enter with a 1-0 record in conference play.
– The 49ers’ defense has recorded three straight shutouts and has five clean sheets through seven games. With a shutout percentage of .714, Charlotte is third in the nation.
– The Niners have not allowed a goal at Transamerica Field in 652 minutes. That is seven straight shutouts at home. October 13, 2023, was the last time that a goal was allowed at Transamerica.
– Through 630 minutes this season, the Niners have trailed for only nine.
– A win or a draw would give Charlotte its first eight-game unbeaten streak since 2019.
– With a win-lost-tied percentage of .857, the 49ers are seventh in the country.
SCOUTING THE BULLS
– With a 3-1-4 record, South Florida has not lost in a game since its season opener against #23 Seattle.
– The Bulls opened conference play with a 1-0 victory at home against FIU.
– Earlier this month, South Florida played #10 UCF to a scoreless draw on the road.
– The Bulls have yet to record a win away from their Corbett Stadium, with a 0-0-2 record on the road.
– Felix Schaefer was named AAC Goalkeeper of the Week after recording back-to-back clean sheets.
– Junior midfielder Lovro Kostanjšek leads the Bulls with six points (two goals and two assists). Those six points came in the first five games of the season.
– Senior forward Gunnar Studenhofft missed the first three games of the season but has recorded two goals and an assist in the five matches since.
– South Florida was picked to finish fourth in the league’s preseason poll. Jalen Anderson and Pedro Faife were named to the All-AAC preseason team. Anderson, a 2023 First-Team All-AAC selection, led South Florida with seven goals last season. He has three points this year.
– Bob Butehorn is in his eighth season at the helm of South Florida. In his tenure, he has led the Bulls to two NCAA Tournaments (2018 & 2022) and a 51-51-18 record.
– Before South Florida, Butehorn coached Florida Gulf Coast for 10 seasons where he was a three-time Atlantic Sun Conference Coach of the Year.
SERIES HISTORY
– All-time, South Florida owns a 16-11-2 series advantage over Charlotte. However, the 49ers are 6-4 against the Bulls over the last 10 matchups.
– It was a rough start to the rivalry as the Niners only won one of the first 10 matchups in history.
– Last season, the Boys in Green went to Tampa and defeated the Bulls, 2-1. Daniel Moore’s goal with 16 seconds remaining sealed the victory for Charlotte. Leonard Stritter had five saves.
– After meeting every year from 1988 to 2004, the 49ers and the Bulls did not face off against each other again until 2022 when Charlotte joined the AAC.