FARMVILLE, VA. – Following a tough 1-0 loss to Liberty in the team’s last outing, the Charlotte 49ers women’s soccer team (2-1-0) is back on the road for a Sunday (Aug. 24) evening showdown with the undefeated Longwood Lancers (3-0-0), with kickoff slated for 6:00 p.m. at the Longwood Athletics Complex.

SCOUTING THE LANCERS

Head Coach Todd Dyer’s side is off to a high-flying start after being picked fourth in the Big South preseason poll. Following a 4-9-6 campaign in 2024, the Lancers are a win away from matching last season’s win total and have seemingly carried the momentum from a four-game unbeaten streak to close the 2024 regular season into the new year.

Dyer has been at the helm of the Lancers’ program since it’s inception in 1993, sporting a 284-217-61 career record as head coach. He’s got an experienced squad this season, with six players named to the Big South’s Preseason Top Returners list. That group is headlined by 2024 Big South Goalkeeper of the Year Sara Curtis and 2024 First Team All-Big South center back Sydney Robertson, who form the heart of a defense that posted six shutouts last season and have another in Longwood’s first three games this year.

After scoring 16 goals last season the Lancers have put nine on the board in the opening three games of 2025, highlighted by a 4-0 romp over Alabama A&M and a 5-3 shootout against VMI. Freshman Sam Fischer has already notched four goals and has struck at least once in each game, while fellow forward Madison Fitzpatrick has found the back of the net twice. Three of the six players tabbed to the Big South Preseason Watch List in Peyton Curney, Emma Jones, and Meghan Piazza have also put goals on the board already.

While Robertson has been limited to just 30 minutes of action this season, the Lancers have three other defenders in the form of Taylor Kamalsky, Kiki Putnam, and Bemi Wayland who had logged over 200 minutes of action so far.

Longwood will be the third Big South foe that Charlotte has faced in 2025. The Niners downed USC Upstate 2-1 in a home exhibition and defeated Radford on Aug. 17 in another 2-1 home victory. Both were picked ahead of Longwood in the Big South preseason poll.

SERIES HISTORY WITH LONGWOOD

Sunday will be the fourth meeting between Charlotte and Longwood, with the Niners sporting a 3-0 record. The Green and White took the Lancers down 1-0 in overtime back in 2018 before taking a pair of 2-0 wins in 2019 and 2023.

LAST SEASON RECAP

A tough non-conference slate that included three teams then-ranked in the Top 25 led to a difficult opening stretch for Charlotte, but the team rebounded well in American Conference play. The Niners posted a 3-2-5 mark in the American that included a six-game undefeated streak heading into the Conference Championships. Charlotte will be looking to replicate last season’s success on the defensive end, where the Green and White posted eight shutouts.

FEEL THE BYRNE

Sinead Byrne leads the Niners into the 2025 season as the interim head coach after being officially elevated to the position in April following a strong showing during the spring season. Having originally arrived at Charlotte as an assistant coach in January, Byrne will be seeking to replicate the success she had at the Savannah College of Art and Design as an assistant and later as associate head coach. Under Byrne’s guidance the Bees won back-to-back Sun Conference regular season and tournament titles in 2023 and 2024, along with the 2024 NAIA Women’s Soccer Championship. Byrne and the staff at SCAD were tabbed as the 2024 NAIA Coaching Staff of the Year, having developed two First-Team All-Americans and the United Soccer Coaches NAIA Player of the Year during their title run.

 OFF TO A STRONG START

Charlotte sits third in the American Conference standings at 2-1-0, led offensively by Megan Bradley. Bradley’s five points through three games is third-most in the American, while her two goals rank tied for second. Landry Olson has been a consistent presence at both ends of the field, picking up two assists from the fullback position to tie her for the Conference lead. Between the posts, Harlee Head has allowed just one goal in 225:00 minutes of action behind a veteran back line.  Charlotte’s two goals allowed through three games is the fewest since the 2021 season, which opened with three straight shutouts. 

THREE’S A CROWD

Harlee Head was named the American Women’s Soccer Goalkeeper of the Week on Monday (Aug. 18) for her efforts in securing a clean sheet in the 2-0 opening win over UNCW and holding Radford to just one goal in the following match, while Megan Bradley and Rachel Logue were named as Honorable Mentions thanks to their game-winning efforts in both matches. Logue played all 90 minutes over both games and scored her first career goal as the opener against UNCW, while Bradley netted both goals in the 2-1 victory over Radford. This is the first time the Niners have had three players named to the American Women’s Soccer Weekly Awards List in program history.  

BRACING FOR A CHALLENGE

Bradley was the first player since Tash Hudson did it twice in 2023 to net a brace in a game for Charlotte, giving her five points on the season after she also collected an assist against UNCW. Bradley, a transfer from Louisiana, is already halfway to matching her previous season-high for goals (4).

PLAYERS TO WATCH THIS SEASON

Amelia Brown, Evie Craven, and Laura Cate Westerbeek were the trio of Niners named to the list, each of them making their first appearances on the Conference’s annual preseason watch list. Brown enters her senior season having started all 19 of Charlotte’s games a year ago after transferring in from Minnesota, establishing herself as a consistent presence in the back line. Craven, a junior forward, appeared in 14 matches for the Green and White last season after transferring from Pittsburgh and finished with a goal and two assists, good for second on the team with four points. Westerbeek enters her senior season having seen action in 43 career games with the Niners, appearing in all 19 matches last season in defense and tying Craven for the team-high assists mark with two.

NEW FACES FROM DIFFERENT PLACES

Byrne and her staff have 14 new players joining the squad for the 2025 season, with six transfers and eight freshmen comprising the new class. Graduate defender Rachel Logue is the most experienced of the bunch, joining the Niners after seeing action in 47 games at Central Michigan. She’s joined defensively by Lauren Buzzell (R-Jr., Nebraska) and Landry Olson (R-So., Toledo), while Harlee Head (R-Jr., Mississippi State) arrives to strengthen the goalie position. Seniors Megan Bradley (Louisiana-Lafayette) and Naroa Domenech (Jacksonville State) will be called upon to add more offensive firepower with their experience. Chloe Waddington, Rory Brown, Sadie McIllece, Kate Pratt, Camille Derouen, Kyla Osborne, Chloe Salisbury, and Grace Drumgool make up this year’s group of freshmen for the Niners.

EYEING A TRIP TO THE SUNSHINE STATE

11 women’s soccer programs under the American Conference will be seeking to make up the eight seeded teams that will battle for the American Conference Women’s Soccer Championships, beginning on Nov. 6. Hosted once again at the Premier Sports Campus in Lakewood Ranch, Florida, the champion and recipient of the automatic bid to the NCAA Championships will be crowned on Nov. 9.

UP NEXT

The Niners’ three-game road trip will continue as the team returns to Virginia on Thursday, Aug. 28 for a major test in Charlottesville against the No. 17 Virginia Cavaliers. Kickoff at Klöckner Stadium is set for 7:00 p.m. and will be broadcast on ACCNX.