The Charlotte men’s soccer team defeated George Washington, 2-1, on Saturday en route to winning its second Atlantic 10 regular season title in three years.
Charlotte struck first, scoring in the fifth minute of play when Thomas Allen chipped in a rebound on a 25 yard free kick from Tyler Gibson.
However, the lead was short-lived, as Colonials forward Seth Rudolph scored on a penalty kick at the 18:23 mark to even things up at one apiece.
The 49ers went ahead for good in the 85th minute of play when forward Giuseppe Gentile scored his eighth goal of the season on a goal set up by Aidan Kirkbride and Isaac Caughran.
The 49ers seem to be heating up at the perfect moment, having won six consecutive contests. They have done so in what can only be described as dominant fashion, outscoring their opponents by a 17-2 margin. Charlotte will now look forward to the A-10 tournament, which will be held in Charlotte at Transamerica Field. The 49ers will take on Duquesne on Thursday 8 p.m.
SLU trounces Butler, claims second spot
After a convincing victory over Butler, Saint Louis will head into this weekend’s conference tournament as the second seed.
The first part of the first half was very competitive, with neither team conceding much, but the Billikens would eventually gain the upper hand, exploding for two goals in the span of a mere 44 seconds just before the conclusion of the half. The game’s first goal came in the 42nd minute when Kingsley Bryce deflected a David Graydon corner kick into the back of the goal, marking the fourth time he has scored this season.
Shortly thereafter, Billikens forward Robbie Kristo put SLU ahead, 2-0, scoring on a goal assisted by Bryce and Michael Robson.
The second half was more of the same as the Billikens doubled their lead thanks to goals scored by Alex Sweetin and Adnan Gabelgic.
With the win, SLU locked up the second seed in the A-10 tournament and have earned themselves a date against seventh-seeded La Salle in the quarterfinals.
Michael Downs can be reached at [email protected].
