The Charlotte 49ers men’s soccer team produced yet another player of the week for the Atlantic 10 conference. Sophomore Evan James became the second player of the week for the A-10 following teammate Adam Gross. James was also named to Top Drawer’s National Team of the Week.
James played a large part in the 49ers’ tie against Clemson on Sept. 9 when he scored the one and only goal for his team in the first ten minutes of the game. Charlotte gave up the lead in the 98th minute when Clemson scored on a header. The game went into double overtime, but neither team broke the tie, leaving the game at 1-1.
Three days later, James played an even bigger role in the 49ers’ 2-1 win over Campbell. He assisted on Charlotte’s first goal, by Luke Exley, bringing the team to an early 1-0 lead. Campbell tied up the game shortly after on a lucky and controversial penalty kick, which proved to be Campbell’s only shot on goal the first half. However, with five minutes left in the game, James scored the game-winner for Charlotte.
Both defense and offense worked together to dominate the majority of both games this past weekend, outshooting their opponents 33-18. This win elevated Charlotte’s record to 2-1-1.
Noone now a somebody
School records were broken this weekend as Temple University beat Albany, 2-0. It was senior midfielder J.T. Noone who not only contributed to the win but also broke TU’s school record for assists.
Just minutes before halftime, Noone executed an excellent pass by an Albany defender and hooked up with freshman Tyler Witmer to take the lead, 1-0. The pass increased Noone’s numbers to 21 assists, a new school record. He now ranks ahead of well-known Temple players, such as the previous record holder Tony Donatelli. He now plays for the Montreal Impact of the United Soccer League.
It took all four years for Noone to achieve this accomplishment and he commented on the Temple University website about how excited he was to have finally reached this moment.
“It took a couple games to finally get it, but I’m glad to finally have it under my belt so I can concentrate on the rest of the season,” said Noone. “We made a great effort today, and I’m really happy to get the win.”
Noone was not the only player to contribute to this win; another senior midfielder, Mike Puppolo, scored the final goal to ensure the Owls win. Goal keeper Bret Mollon also helped out with a shutout of seven saves in this game, keeping Albany at zero goals. This win increased Temple’s record to 2-3-1.
Transition becoming easier with time
Nick Maglasang of Saint Louis was named the A-10 Rookie of the Week in week two of play. The freshman earned this title with an assist and by scoring his first collegiate goal against Loyola Chicago.
Maglasang had a lot to live up to coming into this season. While in high school at Saint Louis University High School, he was named a National Soccer Coaches Association of America High School All-American. Coming into Saint Louis, Maglasang was part of a CollegeSoccerNews.com article on “100 freshmen to keep an eye on”, as well as a pre-season A-10 All-Rookie selection.
Maglasang did not disappoint anyone after his performance against the Ramblers. He and Mike Roach were the only two to score for the Billikens. Maglasang scored his first goal in the 65th minute off of a free-kick from senior James Jaramillo. He then went on to assist Mike Roach in his second goal of the game with only one minute left to play. This 3-1 win over Loyola Chicago improved Saint Louis’ record to 2-2-0.
Geena Lombardi can be reached at [email protected].
