CHARLOTTE, N.C. – The Charlotte 49ers women’s soccer team (7-4-2, 3-1-2 American Conference) is back on the road on Sunday, Oct. 19 as the team heads to Tampa, Fla. to take on the USF Bulls (6-7-1, 2-3-1 AAC) at Corbett Stadium. Kickoff is slated for 1:00 p.m., with the game set to be aired on ESPN+.

SCOUTING THE BULLS

USF is led by Head Coach Chris Brown, who is in his second season at the helm of the program. Elevated to the position in November 2023, Brown led the Bulls to a 12-2-5 season in 2024 and produced eight All-American Conference players along the way. While just in his second season as Head Coach, Brown was an assistant coach at USF from 2007-2023 and has previously held posts as the head coach at VCU and of the United States U20 and Guyana national sides.

 

Brown’s side is a volume offense, ranking 46th in Division I and third in the American in shots per game with 16.07, and so far has put 6.86 of those attempts per game on target (also third in the American). The Bulls are also good at creating opportunities, sitting second in the Conference in corner kicks per game at 5.36. Brown’s squad has tallied 23 goals so far but has conceded 22 as well.

 

USF returns six of last season’s All-Conference honorees, led by American Midfielder of the Year Sadie Sider-Echenberg and Goalkeeper of the Year Leire Herraez Gallach. Sider-Echenberg sits second on the team with nine points thus far in 2025, having scored four goals and added an assist. Herraez Gallach has missed a chunk of time this season and has been splitting time with Gaby Rourke when in action.

 

2024 American Conference Second-Team selection Gentiana Fetaj (three goals, six assists) shares the points lead for the Bulls with Hedda Ornberg, who has scored five goals with two assists. Emily Lemke and Mia Rodach have both scored a pair of goals as well for the Bulls, who have been streaky this season. Brown’s squad lost four straight after a win the opener, only to rattle off five straight wins afterwards; but momentum has swung the other way, as the Bulls are winless since Sep. 18 coming into Sunday’s match.

SERIES HISTORY WITH USF

Sunday marks to the 13th meeting all-time between the Niners and Bulls, with Charlotte leading the series 5-4-3. The two sides played eight times between 1996 and 2003 and the Niners emerged victorious in five of those matchups, but have not beaten the Bulls since 2001. Sunday marks the third straight season that Charlotte and USF will meet in American Conference play, and both teams are looking for a first American goal against the other as the previous two meetings have ended 0-0. There’s precedent here for Charlotte, which played UAB on Oct. 2 for the third time in the American after matches in 2023 and 2024 ended 0-0 as well; the third meeting ended 3-1 in favor of the Niners, who will be looking to replicate that breakthrough.

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.

BYRNE-ING BRIGHT

Sinead Byrne was officially elevated to Head Coach of the Charlotte women’s soccer program on Friday, Oct. 17 after serving under the interim tag since April 2025. Having originally arrived in the Queen City as an assistant coach in January, Byrne’s leadership at the helm of the program has overseen a positive transformation on and off the pitch as the Niners have eclipsed last season’s win total (four) and goal tally (13) while continuing to rise in the standings.

 

Now officially the sixth head coach in program history at Charlotte, Byrne has been able to replicate the success she had at the Savannah College of Art and Design as an assistant and later as associate head coach. Under her 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.

LEADERS ON THE SEASON

Megan Bradley leads the Niners in points with 14, tied with Naroa Domenech atop the goal standings (five) and in sole possession of the assists lead with four. Domenech sits second on the team with 11, joining Bradley in double-figures. Evie Craven is now in sole possession of third with eight points after tallying an assist in the 2-0 win over Temple, now sitting at eight points in 2025. Amelia Brown (seven) sits fourth, while Rory Brown and Landry Olson are tied for fifth with three points apiece this season.

A HEADY PRESENCE IN GOAL 

Goalkeeper Harlee Head ranks third in the American in saves per game (3.69), tied for third in goals against average (.120), and fourth in both saves (48) and save percentage (.762). Coming off of her second shutout of the season in Charlotte’s 2-0 win over Temple on Oct. 12, Head continues to have an impressive debut season in the Queen City. The Redshirt Junior from Castle Rock, Colorado has posted a career-high eight stops twice this season against high-quality competition; No. 3 Virginia and No. 6 Memphis. Head is one of two goalkeepers in the American to have posted eight or more saves in multiple games in 2025.

 

CAREER-HIGH HOT STREAK

Megan Bradley now ranks seventh in the American in points with 14, having caught fire down the stretch. Bradley has a point or more in each of Charlotte’s last four games, including a goal in three of them. The key has been shots; Bradley has taken four attempts in three of the last four games after taking more than one just once in the first nine games.

THREE STRAIGHT WEEKS, THREE PLAYERS FOR THE SECOND TIME IN THE WEEKLY HONORS

Charlotte had three players named to the American Conference Women’s Soccer Weekly Honors on Oct. 12, as Rory Brown captured Freshman of the Week while both Bradley and Harlee Head were Honorable Mentions. It’s the third straight week that the Niners have had at least a player represented in the American Weekly Honors, and the second time that three members of the Green and White have made the list in a week after Aug. 18 saw Head named Goalkeeper of the Week while Bradley and Rachel Logue were Honorable Mentions.

 

Head (Goalkeeper of the Week, Honorable Mention), Bradley (two-time Honorable Mention), and Brown (Freshman of the Week, Honorable Mention) have now made multiple appearances on the list while Logue, Amelia Brown, and Naroa Domenech have also been named Honorable Mentions to bring the total number of times a Charlotte player has appeared on the Weekly Honors list to nine.

 

FIRST TIME FOR EVERYTHING, INCLUDING GAME-WINNERS!

Part of the success that Byrne’s squad has found this season has been the prominence of players enjoying career-firsts along with career highs. Four Niners have scored their first career goals in 2025, three of those goals coming as game winners; only Loyola Maryland has matched that number in Division I.  Rory Brown was the latest player to join the club on Oct. 12, as the freshman’s first career strike served as the opening goal in the Niners’ 2-0 win over Temple.

 

Brown joins Annabelle Walker (UAB) and Rachel Logue (UNCW) in the game-winners club, while Laura Cate Westerbeek is the fourth Niner to celebrate her first career goal this season, and her goal served as the equalizer in Charlotte’s 3-1 win over Longwood. Brown is also one of four Charlotte players to record their first collegiate assist this season along with Penelope Rich, Grace Keighley, Reese Black, and Olson.  

 

PUSHING THE RIGHT BUTTONS 

Coach Byrne has seen several players produce career-highs so far during the 2025 campaign. Bradley, Brown, and Craven are all setting new career-highs with their respective points totals, with Brown and Craven putting together their first multi-goal seasons.

Olson (three assists) and Keighley (two assists) are also establishing season-highs.

RP-EYES ON CHARLOTTE

Since beginning the season ranked 197th in RPI (Rating Percentage Index), which factors in wins, losses, and strength of schedule, the Niners have rocketed up to as high as 37th in Division I nationally. Currently sitting 44th, Charlotte ranks second in the American.

 

THIRD SEASON IS THE CHARM

Charlotte’s 3-1-2 start under Byrne in Conference play in the program’s third year as part of the American is the best start yet for the Niners through six games, besting 2023’s mark of 2-2-2.

ACCURACY IS KEY

 Domenech ranks 41st in the nation in shots on goal per game (1.77) and 16th in the country in shot accuracy (.639). She’s been the leader of a Charlotte squad that ranks 44th in Division I in shot accuracy as a whole, having put 84/168 (.500) chances on target.

THAT’S JUST WHAT SHE DOES!

Amelia Brown is tied for first in the American Conference with three game-winning goals this season, all coming from penalty kicks in the second half. Brown has been automatic with the pressure on, having converted all three of Charlotte’s opportunities from the spot thus far.

 

RISING STAR IN THE QUEEN CITY

Honored as the American Conference Freshman of the Week on Oct. 13, Rory Brown’s first career goal against Temple is the latest highlight in what’s been a stellar year for the freshman from Winter Park, Fla. Brown has started 11 straight games at center back for the Niners, playing every minute in that stretch until she played 81 in the win over Temple.

 

DOMINATION IN PHILLY

In Charlotte’s 2-0 win over Temple last time out on Oct. 12, the Niners put 14/16 shots on goal while holding the Owls 0/2 on the other end. It’s the first time this season that the Niners have not allowed a shot on target the entire game; the last time the Niners achieved the feat was Aug. 24, 2023 against Coastal Carolina, where the Green and White limited the Chanticleers to one shot.

INSTANT IMPACT, ON THE TOUCHLINE AND ON THE FIELD

With four regular season games to go in the 2025 season, Byrne and her staff have bested last season’s win total (4) and are seeking Charlotte’s first season with double-digit wins  since 2019. Meanwhile, 34/56 (60%) of the Green and White’s points this season have come from players in their first season with the Charlotte program.

DON’T LET THEM GET HOT!

Charlotte has not lost a game this season where the Niners have scored, posting a 7-0-2 record in those games. The Green and White have scored at least two goals in all seven wins, putting three goals past opposing teams four times thus far after the 3-1 victory over UAB. The exceptions were both 1-1 draws, coming against UTSA and Rice.

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. Logue, Olson, Head, and Rory Brown have all started at least five games on the defensive end while Chloe Salisbury and Lauren Buzzell have also seen action in the back line.

Bradley and Domenech have brought an injection of firepower to the Niners on the offensive side, with Kate Pratt another newcomer to have seen game action. Chloe Waddington, Sadie McIllece, Camille Derouen, Kyla Osborne, and Grace Drumgool round out this year’s crop of newcomers.

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 return home for the final two home games of the season next week, first against the Owls of Florida Atlantic on Thursday, Oct. 23. Kickoff from Charlotte Soccer Field is set for 7:00 p.m. and the game will be aired on ESPN+.