NORFOLK, Va. – The Old Dominion men’s soccer team hosts 9th ranked Charlotte in the conference home opener on Saturday, Sept. 17 at 7 p.m. at the ODU Soccer Complex. The match marks the 15th encounter between the two teams since 1981 and fifth since joining C-USA in 2013.
The Monarchs [3-1-1] head into Saturday’s match coming off a big 1-0 win over #24 Radford, then ranked #18, on Sunday, Sept. 11, to wrap up ODU Soccer Classic action. The match was the first of the season that the Monarchs have shutout an opponent and in Coach Dawson’s opinion was “the most complete game we’ve put together all season.”
Sebastien Hauret and Jimmy Filerman swept the Conference USA weekly honors receiving the offensive and defensive laurels respectively for their performance against Radford. Hauret and Filerman as well as Roger Rojas-Goodbold represented Old Dominion on the 41st annual ODU Soccer Classic All-Tournament team and helped the Monarchs claim the runner-up title.
Hauret sits second in the conference in assists per game with a 0.80 average and is tied for first with Charlotte’s Brandt Bronico in conference standings with four total assists. Alex Tiesenhausen holds second in the conference in total saves with 27 this season, sitting behind UAB’s Joe Kuzminsky with 36 saves.
No. 9 Charlotte heads into Saturday’s match after defeating Coastal Carolina in a close 1-0 match on Tuesday, Sept. 13, in Charlotte, N.C. in front of a favorable crowd of 1,600 fans. Coastal Carolina was the first opponent Charlotte faced that held the 49ers to just a single goal.
The 49ers lead the country and Conference USA in seven categories including assists [4.33] and points [12.33] per game, save and shutout percentage [1.000 each], scoring offense with 4 goals a game average, team goal against average of 0.000 and they are in a six-way tie for first with a 3-0-0 undefeated record. The 49ers also lead the conference in total assists [13], goals [12] and points [37].
Leading the team in goals are Callum Montgomery and Marco Sunol-Rojas who have each scored five goals for the 49ers. Elliot Panicco leads the country with a goal against average (GAA) of 0.00, shutting out all three opponents this season. Bronico holds the first place spot in the nation in assists per game [1.33], while Sunol-Rojas and Matej Dekovic are T-18th nationally at 0.67.
After the match against Charlotte, the Monarchs head just up Interstate 64 to face former CAA rival VCU on Tuesday night, Sept. 20, for a 7 p.m. match at SportsBackers Stadium in Richmond, Virginia.