Men’s soccer falls to Charlotte

The men’s soccer team traveled to Charlotte last week, taking on the twelfth- ranked 49ers from the University of North Carolina-Charlotte (UNCC) during a Wednesday night matchup on Sept. 21.

UNCC debuted their striking offense early, putting great pressure on Coastal’s defense from the very first minute. This trend was established quickly, and they did not let up for the remainder of the match. The intensity of UNCC’s offense led to many early fouls from Coastal, struggling to keep pace with them.
Midway through the first half, Coastal’s defense began a good play, and the proficient counterattack from Coastal became evident shortly after the momentum shifted toward them.

This propelled their offense to a strong showing, and resulted in a penalty kick. CCU’s Alvaro Garcia-Pascual drove in the kick and served as Coastal’s first goal of the game and the second goal UNCC has allowed all season.

The first half remained competitive. Coastal kept the momentum going as both teams were physical, with no shortage of fouls and shoving. Charlotte continued the signature defensive play they have shown all season, only increasing the physicality of the game. All told, both teams contributed to a total of 29 fouls and five cards.

UNCC started the second half hot, providing extreme pressure on Coastal’s defense early and often. The relentless offense and shooting resulted in an early second-half goal and pushed the score to 3-1.

Momentum shifted toward UNCC and the offense did not let up the entire second half.

In the sixty-eighth minute, Coastal’s keeper Joey Batrouni drew his second yellow card of the game, resulting in a red card. From this point on, backup keeper Randy Burkhardt stepped in, and Coastal finished the game down one player.

UNCC demonstrated their second-half efficiency and dominance, putting the Chanticleers away with a final score of 6-1.