The Charlotte 49ers men's soccer team is an intercollegiate

varsity sports In most English-speaking countries, varsity is an abbreviation of the word ''university''. In the United States and Canada, the term is mostly used in relation to sports teams. Varsity in the United Kingdom In the United Kingdom, varsity team ...

team of the University of North Carolina at Charlotte. As of the upcoming 2022 season, the team is a member of the NCAA Division I American Athletic Conference (The American). The team plays their home games at

Transamerica Field The Irwin Belk Track and Field Center/Transamerica Field is a stadium located on the campus of the University of North Carolina at Charlotte. Finished in 1996, the stadium is home to the Charlotte 49ers soccer and track and field teams. The ...

in Charlotte, North Carolina. In 2011, the team reached the championship of the NCAA Division I Men's Soccer Championship, for the first time in program history.

History

In 1996, the Charlotte 49ers men's soccer team became the first

Conference USA Conference USA (C-USA or CUSA) is an intercollegiate athletic conference whose current member institutions are located within the Southern United States. The conference participates in the NCAA's Division I in all sports. C-USA's offices are l ...

team in any sport to reach the National semi-finals. The Niners won a school record 19 games. They went 7–1 in Conference USA to capture the regular season title. The Niners defeated College of Charleston,

Notre Dame Notre Dame, French for "Our Lady", a title of Mary, mother of Jesus, most commonly refers to: * Notre-Dame de Paris, a cathedral in Paris, France * University of Notre Dame, a university in Indiana, United States ** Notre Dame Fighting Irish, th ...

and Hartford to reach the national semi-finals before falling to Florida International in front of 20,269 fans in

Richmond, Virginia (Thus do we reach the stars) , image_map = , mapsize = 250 px , map_caption = Location within Virginia , pushpin_map = Virginia#USA , pushpin_label = Richmond , pushpin_m ...

. Goalkeeper Jon Busch becomes the Niners' second first team All-American after recording 12 shutouts and a 0.89 goals against average. Busch also earned Conference USA Defensive Player of the Year honors. John Tart was named Conference USA Coach of the Year. The most notable season in Charlotte soccer history came in 2011 when the 49ers became the first team of any sport in school history to reach an NCAA national championship. The team was ranked in the top 25 throughout the entire season thanks to a challenging yet successful non-conference campaign. The Niners finished the regular season with an Atlantic 10 record of 6–1–2 and 13–3–2 record overall. After an early disappointing loss to Xavier in the Atlantic 10 tournament, Charlotte then went on a deep run in the NCAA Tournament. The unseeded Niners defeated Furman, No. 11 UAB, No. 10 Akron, and No. 5 Connecticut to advance to the program's second ever College Cup in Hoover, Alabama. The Niners went on to defeat No. 3 Creighton before falling to No. 1 North Carolina in the national championship game with a score of 1–0. Charlotte's most recent conference change was announced during the 2021–22 offseason, when it left

(C-USA) for The American. The decision of the

Sun Belt Conference The Sun Belt Conference (SBC) is a collegiate athletic conference that has been affiliated with the NCAA's Division I since 1976. Originally a non-football conference, the Sun Belt began sponsoring football in 2001. Its football teams participa ...

to reinstate its men's soccer league effective with the 2022 season dropped the C-USA men's soccer membership to four. Of these four schools, three, including Charlotte, were scheduled to move fully to The American in the near future, with a 2023 entry date later confirmed. Accordingly, The American brought all four remaining C-USA men's soccer teams into its own soccer league.

Roster

''As of August 10, 2021''

Individual career records

Career goals

Charlotte 49ers Men's Soccer 2011 Media Guide

Career assists

Coaches

Head coach history

Professional players

Major League Soccer

Brandt Bronico Brandt James Bronico (born June 20, 1995) is an American professional soccer player who plays as a midfielder for Major League Soccer club Charlotte FC. Career After spending four years at University of North Carolina at Charlotte, Bronico was ...

(Charlotte FC) * Jon Busch (

San Jose Earthquakes The San Jose Earthquakes are an American professional soccer team based in San Jose, California. The Earthquakes compete as a member club of the Western Conference of Major League Soccer (MLS). Originally as the San Jose Clash, the franchise ...

) *Mira Mupier ( Chicago Fire) *

Donnie Smith Donald W. Smith (born December 7, 1990) is an American retired soccer player who previously played as a left back for the New England Revolution of MLS and the Charlotte Independence of the USL Championship. Career Charlotte 49ers As a four- ...

( New England Revolution) *

Callum Montgomery Callum Montgomery (born May 14, 1997) is a Canadian soccer player who plays for Canadian Premier League side Cavalry FC. Career Amateur and college Montgomery grew up in Lantzville, British Columbia. As a teenager, he moved to Victoria, Brit ...

( FC Dallas) *

Elliot Panicco Elliot Panicco (born November 18, 1996) is an American professional soccer player who plays as a goalkeeper for Major League Soccer club Nashville SC. Career Youth and college In December 2014, Panicco graduated high school early and enroll ...

( Nashville SC)

USL Pro

Andres Cuero Andres Cuero (born July 8, 1989) is an American soccer player who played for Austin Aztex in the USL Pro. Career College and Amateur Cuero played his college soccer at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte, where he was third-team NSCAA ...

( Wilmington Hammerheads) * Carson Price ( San Antonio FC) *Charles Rodriguez ( Wilmington Hammerheads) *

Evan Harding Evan Harding (born September 12, 1984) is an American professional soccer player who currently plays for Screaming Eagles in the CVSA First Division. Career Youth and College Harding attended East Mecklenburg High School, where he was named N ...

(

Richmond Kickers Richmond Kickers is an American professional soccer club based in Richmond, Virginia. The Kickers compete as a member of USL League One (USL-1). The club was established in 1993, and began play that same year as a United States Interregional S ...

) * Adam Ruud ( Charlotte Eagles) * Chris Salvaggione ( Charlotte Eagles) *Mike Franks ( Wilmington Hammerheads) *Grady Farmer ( Wilmington Hammerheads) *David Hughes ( Myrtle Beach Seadawgs)

North American Soccer League

Floyd Franks Floyd Franks (born April 5, 1984) is an American soccer player. Career College and Amateur Franks attended Vestavia Hills High School and played four years of college soccer at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte, finishing his caree ...

( Carolina RailHawks FC) *

Giuseppe Gentile Giuseppe Gentile (born 4 September 1943) is a retired Italian triple jumper, who won a bronze medal at the 1968 Summer Olympics. Biography From 1962 to 1972 Gentile took part in 33 international competitions, including the 1968 and 1972 Summ ...

(

San Antonio Scorpions The San Antonio Scorpions were an American professional soccer team based in San Antonio, Texas. Founded in 2010, the team made its debut in the North American Soccer League in 2012. The Scorpions played at Toyota Field, a soccer specific stadium ...

) *

Tyler Gibson Tyler Gibson (born January 12, 1991) is an American professional soccer player who plays as a midfielder for USL Championship club Louisville City. Career College career A four-year starter at Charlotte, Gibson was named Atlantic 10 midfielder ...

(

)

S.League

Graham Tatters Graham Tatters (born 28 June 1985 in Elgin) is a Scottish footballer who plays for Hat Yai F.C. in the Thai Second Division. Career Youth and College Tatters was a trainee and youth player at Scottish club Elgin City, and was named Elgin's U- ...

( Woodlands Wellington FC)

References

External links

* {{American Athletic Conference men's soccer navbox Soccer clubs in North Carolina 1976 establishments in North Carolina Association football clubs established in 1976