Charlotte 49er Freshman Named AAC Rookie Of The Week
Charlotte 49ers freshman forward Natsuki Ogata was named American Athletic Conference Rookie of the Week while senior defender Ian Pilcher was named to the conference’s weekly honor roll, as announced by the league office Monday afternoon.
Ogata scored the fastest goal of the season for the Niners in last week’s 2-1 win over Tulsa in conference action. The Osaka, Japan native intercepted a Tulsa pass and beat the keeper for a goal just 76 seconds into the game. It is Ogata’s second collegiate goal and his second Rookie of the Week honor from the league.
Pilcher made the honor roll after playing all 90 minutes (one of two Charlotte players to do so) and scoring the game-winning goal against the Golden Hurricane. With the game tied 1-1, Pilcher headed Matthew Kirk’s free kick into the back of the net to regain the lead for the Green & White in the 74th minute.
Charlotte is 7-2-1 overall and 5-1 in the conference. This week, the Niners host Elon on Wednesday, Oct. 18 and Johnson & Wales on Sunday, Oct. 22 in a pair of non-conference contests at Transamerica Field.
Pilcher’s goal and the Niners’ win clinched a berth in the American Athletic Conference Tournament as it ensures that Charlotte will be one of the top six teams in the conference at the end of the regular season.
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