Charlotte 49ers Women’s Soccer Releases The Full 2026 Schedule
The 2026 Charlotte 49ers women’s soccer team unveiled the complete 2026 schedule Tuesday, with the 17-game regular season slate set to kick off at Jen Gaber Field against Furman Thursday, Aug. 13 at 7:00 p.m.
IN-STATE EXHIBITIONS
Charlotte will play a pair of in-state exhibition games in preparation for the 2026 season beginning with a trip to App State Aug. 5. The first chance to see this year’s team in action at home will be Saturday, Aug. 8, against Queens (N.C.) in an exhibition match at 10:30 a.m.
NON-CONFERENCE LINEUP FEATURES PLENTY OF TESTS
Beginning under the lights Aug. 13 against the Paladins, Charlotte’s seven-game non-conference slate will give Byrne’s side several chances for marquee wins heading into American Conference play. Six of the seven teams on the docket racked up double-digit wins in 2025, and two of them appeared in the NCAA Tournament; there are four total NCAA tournament teams awaiting the Niners this season.
Both Furman and Radford (Aug. 16, Road) matched the Niners with 10 wins in 2025, as the Highlanders posted a 7-1 mark in the Big South before being upset in the opening round of the conference tournament. The match with Radford will be the away leg following last season’s home opener, which saw a brace from Megan Bradley give the 49ers a 2-1 win.
A trip to face an NC State team looking to bounce back from a 5-9-4 year in a loaded ACC follows Aug. 20. The Wolfpack offer a quality power-conference opponent early for the Niners, while another pair of 10-win programs await to close out August in the form of USC Upstate (Aug. 23, Home) and Liberty (Aug. 30, Road). The 49ers met both of these sides in 2025, downing the Spartans 2-1 in an exhibition and falling 1-0 to a Flames team that captured the CUSA title before exiting the NCAA Tournament in the first round.
The trip north to Lynchburg will be followed by a visit to Starkville, Miss. Sept. 6 to take on Mississippi State, where the Bulldogs are sporting a new coach but seeking a fifth straight season with 12-plus wins and a trip to the NCAA Tournament. The two sides met back in Charlotte during the 2024 campaign.
A visit from UNCW Sept. 10 closes out the non-conference slate for Charlotte. The Seahawks are coming off an 11-win year that saw them go 7-0-2 in the CAA. Goals from Rachel Logue and Naroa Domenech gave Byrne and the Niners a debut win in Wilmington to open the 2025 season.
CONFERENCE QUEST BEGINS IN FLORIDA, REIGNING CHAMPS COME TO CHARLOTTE
Cruising a record of 6-2-2 and the No. 2 seed in the American in 2025, the Green and White begin the goal of returning to Lakeland Ranch, Fla. for the 2026 American Conference Tournament with a visit to the Sunshine State Sept. 17, taking on Florida Atlantic. Charlotte returns home to end the month, welcoming North Texas (Sept. 24) and reigning American Conference Tournament champion UTSA (Sept. 27) to Jen Gaber Field. The 49ers went 2-1-0 against this trio in 2025, drawing 1-1 with the Roadrunners in San Antonio after a goal from Bradley was equalized in the 89th minute.
PACKED OCTOBER AHEAD
The penultimate month of the regular season could be the most challenging for the 49ers, beginning Oct. 2 at Tulsa. Though Byrne’s side dominated the Golden Hurricane 4-0 on Senior Day a year ago, Tulsa posted seven of its nine wins at home in 2025 on the way to earning the No. 3 seed in the American. ECU, who Charlotte defeated 1-0 in Greenville in last season’s season finale on a Domenech goal, comes to the Queen City for the first home tilt of October (Oct. 8).
The next two games feature a trip to Memphis (Oct. 11) and a visit from USF (Oct. 15), a key four-day stretch for Charlotte. The Niners nearly played spoiler against a Tigers team that went 17-1-3 in 2025 and reached as high as No. 3 in the United Soccer Coaches’ national poll, falling 1-0 at home to a late 85th minute strike. Meanwhile, the Green and White are hoping to avenge a pair of losses to the Bulls in Florida in 2025 on home soil after USF came away 2-1 victors in the regular season and upset Byrne’s side in the opening game of the American Conference Tournament.
October comes to a close down south, first in Birmingham, Ala. against UAB (Oct. 25) and then in Houston, Texas against Conference Tournament runner-up Rice (Oct. 30).
SENIOR DAY AGAINST THE OWLS
This season’s senior day and regular season finale will take place Tuesday, Nov. 3 against Temple at 7:00 p.m. It’s the first time during Charlotte’s tenure in the American Conference that the regular season will carry into November.
SEEKING A RETURN TO THE SUNSHINE STATE
Charlotte’s seeding as the No. 2 team in the American in 2025 was the highest for the Green and White entering a Conference Tournament since 2013, a benchmark Byrne’s side will be looking to match or better when the 2026 American Conference Tournament opens Nov. 8 in Lakewood Ranch, Fla. at the Premier Sports Complex. This year’s bracket opens with the eight-team quarterfinals Sunday, Nov. 8, the semifinals Wednesday, Nov. 11, and the final Saturday, Nov. 14.
ALL-CONFERENCE RETURNERS, NEW FACES
18 returners and 11 newcomers comprise this year’s squad, with the returning crop led by 2025 All-Conference selections Evie Craven (second team, forward), Harlee Head (third team, goalkeeper), and Rory Brown (freshman, defender). Byrne’s side returns plenty of experience defensively, where Head and Brown are two of seven returnees to have made multiple starts in the back line or in net during 2025.Â
six transfers and five freshman provide plenty of incoming talent for the Green and White, with several arriving from overseas. A full deep dive into the incoming class can be found here.Â
49ER GOLD CARD
Reserve your spot at Jen Gaber Field this upcoming season by purchasing a 49ers Gold Card! Packages provide admission to all men’s soccer, women’s soccer, and volleyball regular season matches. Fans can purchase their Gold Card through this link and can contact the ticket office at niner@charlotte.edu or by calling 704-687-4949.
The full 2026 Charlotte women’s soccer schedule can be viewed below.
| Aug. 5 | at App State^ | 5:00 p.m. |
| Aug. 8 | Queens (N.C.)^ | 10:30 p.m. |
| Aug. 13 | Furman | 7:00 p.m. |
| Aug. 16 | at Radford | 5:00 p.m. |
| Aug. 20 | at N.C. State | 5:00 p.m. |
| Aug. 23 | USC Upstate | 6:00 p.m. |
| Aug. 30 | at Liberty | 1:00 p.m. |
| Sept. 6 | at Mississippi State | 1:00 p.m. |
| Sept. 10 | UNCW | 7:00 p.m, |
| Sept. 17 | at FAU* | 7:00 p.m. |
| Sept. 24 | North Texas* | 7:00 p.m, |
| Sept. 27 | UTSA* | 1:00 p.m. |
| Oct. 2 | at Tulsa* | 6:00 p.m. |
| Oct. 8 | ECU* | 7:00 p.m. |
| Oct. 11 | at Memphis* | 11:00 a.m. |
| Oct. 15 | USF* | 7:00 p.m. |
| Oct. 25 | at UAB* | 6:00 p.m. |
| Oct. 30 | at Rice* | 12:30 p.m. |
| Nov. 3 | Temple* | 7:00 p.m. |
| Nov. 8 | American Conference – Quarterfinals | TBD |
| Nov. 11 | American Conference – Semifinals | TBD |
| Nov. 14 | American Conference – Championship | TBD |
^Denotes an exhibition match.
*Denotes an American Conference match