Niners Upended at UCF, 2-1
Next Game: USF 10/25/2022 | 7 PM ESPN+ Next Game Full Schedule Oct. 25 (Tue) / 7 PM USF HistoryA pair of impressive volley's from UCF were too much for the No. 13 Charlotte men's soccer team to overcome as the 49ers fell to the Knights, 2-1, in Orlando on Friday night.The loss is just CLT's (8-2-2, 2-2-2 AAC) second of the season through 12 matches, while UCF (6-5-0, 3-4-0 AAC) earned just its second win in its last six tries to leapfrog the Niners in the American standings.Charlotte's lone goal came from freshmanwho became the 14th different Niner to score this season, equalizing the tie in the latter stages of the second half.Seniorassisted on the goal, upping his team-leading points total to 18 and is just one assist shy of tying his single season career-high of five helpers in a campaign.UCF threw the night's opening punch less than 15 minutes into the match as Lucas Mauro played an out swinging ball into the 18 that found the right foot of Gino Vivi who ripped a volley past juniorto open the scoring.The Niners quickly recovered, nearly equalizing instantly after the kickoff and owned a majority of the chances for the next 20 minutes in the opening frame.CLT, however was unable to find the back of the net and the sides went into the halftime break with UCF leading, 1-0.Out of halftime, Charlotte continued to control the tempo and a majority of the chances in the final third.Eventually the Green & White's pressure paid as Lacey found Dildy just inside the 18 and the San Antonio native slotted a perfect ball past the outstretched arms of the UCF keeper to even the score.Almost immediately after the restart, Mauro found UCF's leading goal scorer, Lucas Dourado who smashed home a volley from inside the six-yard area to help UCF regain a one-goal advantage in the 74th minute.Over the final 16 minutes, the Niners earned a number of chances, including a golden opportunity from juniorto equalize in the final seconds. However, CLT couldn't find pay dirt and UCF walked away with the, 2-1, victory on its home soil.Charlotte returns to action in just four days time when it welcomes American Conference foe, USF to the Queen City on Tuesday evening to Kick Out Cancer. The gold clad 49ers and the Bulls are slated to take the pitch at 7 p.m. ET on ESPN+ with Jack Fitzpatrick and 49ers soccer alum, Brandt Bronico on the call.
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