Sustaining Success: Charlotte 49ers Men's Soccer Seeking a Three-peat

Photo Courtesy of Charlotte Athletics

The Charlotte 49ers men’s soccer team is looking to do the hardest things in sports this season, and it’s not finding success because it has already done that back-to-back years; now, it is sustaining success.

Seeking to three-peat as American Conference champions, it starts with wiping away last year from the mind and facing each day with the same determination they showed before they hoisted the trophy in 2023.

“It’s what we do every single day,” said Associate Head Coach Charles Rodriguez. “The guys get their rings in late April-May, and we draw a line behind the 2024 season, and now it’s irrelevant. They can look back on it in 20 years, but right now it’s staying fit, staying healthy, and continuing to push each other.”

Key players

One of the main players who has led to the team’s success has been goalkeeper Leonard Stritter, who last season started all 19 matches and made 43 saves to help propel the team to a successful year.

Forward Elias Arsvoll is coming off an awe-inspiring freshman season where he finished third on the team in points, accumulating three goals and three assists, and will be a critical piece to the team’s potential success this year.

Natsuki Ogata, in the two conference championship seasons, made a solid impact with seven goals and one assist in 36 games over the two seasons, and will continue to be a strong impact player using his experience to help lead the team to another successful year.  

Preseason accolades 

Charlotte brought home a lot of preseason honors, such as being voted the top team in the conference, receiving 58 points in the vote, including four first-place votes.

Individually, Stritter and Ogata were named to the Preseason American All-Conference team, and Stritter was named the Preseason Goalkeeper of the Year.

Maintaining the team identity 

Even though the team has individual players that shine, the key to the team’s success and maintaining that success has been remaining team-oriented and showing trust in each other.

Part of that team-oriented mindset is not settling for the success of yesteryear and focusing on trying to be better each and every day!

“[The key] is just be your best every day, not be cocky and not think we are better than we are,” said Arsvoll. “Must reset after every win and do our best.” 

Building off a strong legacy 

The program is no stranger to success and has been built up on the backs of all those who have ever worn the green and white. Rodriguez does his part to ensure the team understands the legacy of what came before.

“I think it’s a special place to be,” said Rodriguez. “It’s a special jersey to wear, and the guys love wearing the hoops. Love the university, and I’d like to think we are doing something well when you have 90+ alumni show up almost every spring for our alum days. So hopefully, the guys here know that they are standing on the shoulders of giants, all those people who have come before them and love the program so much.”