Redshirt junior Isaac Caughran finished the Charlotte men’s soccer team’s last two games with game-winning goals. Caughran scored the winner in overtime on Friday against Virginia, which is ranked No. 10 in the nation.
The 49ers (5-1) sent the game into overtime with less than a minute left in regulation. Caughran was awarded with a penalty kick for the 49ers when he was taken down in the box with under 30 seconds left.
With just 25 seconds remaining, sophomore and reigning Atlantic 10 Midfielder of the Year Tyler Gibson sunk the penalty to even the score at one apiece.
On the road, Charlotte took all the momentum into extended time. Only 40 seconds into overtime, Gibson ripped a shot that hit off the top of the crossbar and rebounded to Caughran, who was there for the put-back on a header to complete the upset for the 49ers.
Virginia scored its only goal of the game in the 71st minute when Will Bates knocked in a penalty kick after Isaac Cowles was given a red card for a handball in the box.
Charlotte looks to stay atop the conference as it plays another game on the road against Atlantic Coast Conference opponent Clemson on Sept. 20.
Xavier suffers first loss
Xavier was on a high, carrying an undefeated record into a matchup with Northwestern, while having three sophomores, Nick Hagglund, Gino Depaoli and Andy Kaplan, all named to the A-10 All-Tournament Team.
Northwestern, however, deflated the Musketeers, handing Xavier its first loss, 2-0, on Sunday. The Musketeers’ record is now 4-1-0 as they remain in second place in the conference.
In the 12th minute of the game, Wildcats’ Nikko Boxall scored a goal on a corner kick with a header that soared just past the goalies’ reach.
To pad the lead, junior Chris Ritter scored on a penalty kick following a foul in the box nearly 14 minutes later.
Junior goalkeeper Justin Marshall took his first loss in five games this season. The winning goalie on the other side, freshman Tyler Miller, made two saves in the contest.
Xavier heads back to the pitch on Thursday as it travels back home to face Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis at 7 p.m.
Owls blanked by Stetson
One goal in the 34th minute was all Stetson needed to hold off Temple in a 1-0 victory.
This game marked the last day of the Stetson Soccer Classic in Florida where the Owls played a pair of games in which they came out with a 1-1 record after defeating Jacksonville on Friday.
Stetson sophomore Steven Saballos scored the only goal of the day and the first of his career from 10 yards out. The Hatters seemed to control the game throughout as they had 24 shots, compared to Temples’ 15.
Temple goalkeeper Bobby Rosato kept the game close for Temple and had a solid performance with eight saves, a career-high for the sophomore.
Another standout stat was the difference in fouls between the two teams. While Stetson had just three fouls, the Owls were slapped with 15.
Hatters’ goalkeeper Andreas Schnabl had six saves to hold off the Temple offense. This is the second time Temple has been shut-out this season, with both games coming on the road.
The Owls look to get back on track this Friday when they host Long Island in a home game at 1:30 p.m.
Christopher Corso can be reached at [email protected].
