Charlotte 49ers women’s soccer and the East Carolina University (ECU) Pirates battled to a 2-2 draw while braving Hurricane Helene’s raining wraith, creating a setting reminiscent of the final act of “Pirate’s of the Caribbean: At World’s End.”
“Yeah, it’s something we always talk about. It’s completely out of your control,” said Head Coach Brandi Fontaine. “You just have to show up and play. I think last week we got a little taste of it and didn’t show up and play when we needed to. So today, we just knew it was something we had to deal with and decided to handle it a little bit better in today’s situation.”
Early cannonball
The Pirates found themselves ahead in the 1st minute putting in a goal on a corner being sent in from Mackenzie Smith, then hitting off Abby Sowa, ended up at the feet of Sydney Schnell, who sent a shot hitting off the crossbar and down into the net to take a 1-0 lead early.
Resilient response
After falling behind early in the match, the 49ers rallied and played with newfound energy, shooting four of the game’s next five shots.
That fifth shot came on a free kick. Braelynn Francher sent the kick on goal, and Amelia Brown redirected it with a header, putting it into the net to tie the game up 1-1.
“It’s my first goal here at Charlotte, and I was really happy to see the ball at the back of the net,” said Brown. “But I think it was Braelynn; she put the ball in, and I just saw the ball come to my head, and I just knew I had to get it on frame.”
Halftime rebound
The tie did not last long after the halftime break. In the 48th minute, the Pirates found gold. A corner kick from Smith was completed by Sowa, who found the back of the net to give ECU a 2-1 lead.
Bet on black
The Niners found themselves down again with the match nearing an end, but freshman Reese Black said no so fast.
In the 86th minute, Black recovered the ball after a pirate defender deflected a cross. Black sent a low rolling shot into the right corner of the net to score the equalizer with her first career goal.
The game stayed tied until the 90th minute, ending in a 2-2 draw.
Takeaways
The team displayed the ability to score goals when needed most to be able to rally back twice to result in the 2-2 draw.
“I think this team, there’s something that clicks after we’re down a goal, and we come back with so much energy, and then once we have that energy, it starts to build momentum, and then once we’re able to score, we step it up,” said Black.
What’s next
As the season progresses, Charlotte will look for some of their injured talent to return, hoping the playing time the younger players have gotten early on will pay off.
“We are missing some key pieces for us, but I’m really proud of the fight, especially some of our freshmen stepping up,” said Fontaine. “We’ve needed them, and we’re depending on them at this point. Some of our younger players and inexperienced players, but I’m really proud of them for being prepared and standing ready through this season for moments like this.”
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