Charlotte 49ers August Recap
- Sam Perry
- Sep 4
- 5 min read
Charlotte 49ers sports had a mixed bag of results in the opening month of the athletic calendar, with six sports beginning their fall seasons.
Football
The excitement levels were through the roof as Charlotte football took on the Appalachian State University Mountaineers in the Duke’s Mayo Classic.
Those levels seemed to simmer down by halftime when the team trailed 17-3, and if it wasn’t for a heads-up play by JaQuarious Conley and another defensive play falling their way, the score could have been a lot worse for the Green & White.
Ultimately, the team’s lone showing in August left a lot to be desired after the offense did not gain any traction in the passing game or the run game, with penalties being drive killers.
“Offensively – no rhythm. Through three quarters, we had nine series. Four or five of those, we started with a penalty on the first play of the drive. When we’re off-schedule, we struggled. Give (App State) credit,” said Head Coach Tim Albin. “I’d like to sit here and say that if we played clean and had zero turnovers and zero penalties, we’d probably still lose the game, because of up front — offensive and defensive line. Just honest.”
One bright spot was special teams, with the punting game being strong behind Bronson Long, who had six punts for 290 yards in the game.
Men’s Soccer
Head Coach Kevin Langan and his back-to-back American Conference championship-winning men’s soccer program have opened the year 1-1-1 after a couple of challenging games not falling their way.
The biggest factor so far this season for the team has been adjusting to a different back line after last year’s back line mostly graduated, leaving the team in a bit of a transitional phase as they work to mesh together.
Charlotte opened the year with a 2-0 home loss to Georgia Southern University, as the Eagles were able to capitalize on the team's lack of aggression offensively, taking advantage of the meshing back line. They then hosted Queens University and had an impressive display with a 6-0 win behind a three-goal and one assist performance from sophomore Elias Ärsvoll.
Charlotte then played host to #13 High Point University and had a 1-0 lead that lasted until the 85th minute when the Panthers found a late equalizer to force a 1-1 draw with the 49ers.
Women’s Soccer
The Charlotte women’s soccer team was the first team to play this year, and they got off to the best start since 2021, going 2-0 under the guidance of their Interim Head Coach Sinead Byrne.
Bryne has quickly shifted the team's philosophy from defensive-minded to offensive-minded, and the team is currently sitting at 3-2 on the year.
The Niners opened the year on the road with a 2-0 win over the University of North Carolina at Wilmington (UNCW) and then came home to defeat Radford University 2-1, scoring four goals in the process, which is as many as the team scored last season in the first nine games.
Charlotte suffered their first loss of the season at home against Liberty University, falling 1-0, and they then began a road trip, beating Longwood University 1-0 and losing to #13-ranked University of Virginia 3-0.
The standout for the team has been senior Megan Bradley, who had an assist in both the UNCW and Longwood wins, as well as a brace in the Radford win, stamping her name all over the box scores in the team’s wins.
Volleyball
Niners volleyball took the court for three games at the end of the month, going 0-3, but they stayed competitive throughout, ensuring that there was a fight for each set.
The primary focus this season under new Head Coach Benavia Jenkins is to be competitive and see the players grow. In the three matches, that competitive spirit shone through.
Match one, they lost to William & Mary 3-0. In some closely contested sets dropping them 25-21, 25-22 and then 25-18 in game one of the Winthrop Invitational.
In match two, the 49ers took on the host Winthrop University and played to a five-set thriller that ultimately fell the Eagles' way. With the sets falling 21-25, 25-19, 26-24, 25-22 and 15-10.
Charlotte had shown growth through the weekend, and even though when they came back to Halton Arena and hosted Davidson University, it was probably their most competitive match despite falling 3-0. If a few points had fallen the Niners' way, they would have taken the victory after the Wildcats took all three sets 25-23, 30-28 and 25-22.
One standout so far for the team was sophomore Maddie Stuesser, who was named American Conference Player of the Week honorable mention after having team-highs with five aces and 108 assists.
Another early-season standout for the 49ers has been graduate student Jaylen Jordan, who has also made her presence known in her first week playing with the program since transferring in from Long Beach State. Jordan leads the team in kills with 41 and is second on the team in digs with 39.
Women’s Golf
Charlotte’s women’s golf team opened up its season, taking part in the Tiger Classic at Clemson. Overall, the 49ers finished in third place out of 11 teams in their debut event after Head Coach CC McMahan took the reins of the program.
“This first tournament is a chance for us to set the tone for the season and establish the kind of energy we want to carry forward,” said McMahan. “For our returners, this event is a chance to lean on their experience, focus on the process, and show what strong leadership looks like on the course. And for our newcomers, this is the first opportunity to put all their preparation into action, and I’m eager to see how they trust at the moment. More than anything, this week is about competing with resilience, learning from each round, and laying the foundation for the growth we want to see throughout the year.”
2024 standout and reigning American Conference Golfer of the Year Pinky Chaisilprungruang continued right where she left off from last season, as she was a co-champion of the Tiger Classic after shooting a 137 (-7).
“I want to thank my team and coaches for all of the love and support,” said Chaisilprungruang. “Each and every day with them is a blessing, and their friendship fuels me to compete on the golf course.”
Cross Country
Charlotte cross country teams opened up their season locally at Frank Liske Park on Aug. 29, where the men’s team took first place and the women’s team finished in second place.
The men’s team had six of the top 10 finishes, with Bryce Anderson leading the Niners in his second-place finish time of 14:48. The strong team performance gave them a 10-point victory over second-place University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (UNC).
The women’s team fell to UNC by a slim margin of one point after getting five Charlotte runners in the top 10. Charlotte’s Lucy Stecher took first place with a time of 17:24.7, with her teammate Ella White right behind for a second-place finish time of 17:27.5.
Niner of the Month
49ers sports played over three weeks during the month of August, and the Niner of the Week winners were Megan Bradley from 8/13-8/19 after having a brace against Radford, Elias Ärsvoll from 8/20-8/26 after having three goals and an assist against Queens and then Bronson Long after putting up six punts for 290 yards.
But looking at the month as a whole, the August Niner of the Month is Megan Bradley after leading the team in points with two goals and two assists, proving to be instrumental in each of the team’s three wins.
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