The Charlotte 49ers fall to the Campbell Fighting Camels 2-0 in their first road game. The loss snaps a three-game winning streak that began on Aug. 19.
"Tough loss on the road. Anytime you lose a game, you are always disappointed about how things unfolded," said head coach John Cullen.
First Half:
In the first half, Campbell started strong, outshooting Charlotte by 7-2. After that, the 49ers struggled to get going while Campbell continued to push the pace on the offensive side of the ball.
Campbell junior Amber Liston had the game's first shot, but it went wide right of the goal. Senior Haley Shand had the first shot on goal for the 49ers, but Campbell senior goalie Reaghan Duval saved her attempt. Sophomore Piper Biziorek had the second and last shot of the first half for Charlotte but could not find the back of the net.
With five minutes left in half, Campbell tried to get on the scoreboard before halftime with two shots on goal from freshman Reagen Baiotto and redshirt junior Mary Tierney, with both of them sailing past the net.
The 49ers went into the break, looking to break the tie and get on the board. The team looked to improve their performance and fix the areas they were struggling in.
"We started the game brightly. We had some good early phases in terms of some passing into some really good areas but lost our way a little bit towards the end of the first half," said Cullen. "Where Campbell came on a little quite strong. It felt like we were playing reasonably well in the first half but lost our way toward the end."
Second Half:
In the second half, Campbell wasted no time putting pressure on the 49ers' defensive attack. Baiotto scored first in the 52nd minute to break the deadlock between the two teams. The goal put the Camels up 1-0.
The 49ers struggled immensely to get any more opportunities to score and possibly even up the game. The first shot of the second half for Charlotte came in the 74th minute as freshman Macey Bader got close but could not seal the deal. This seemed to get the ball rolling for the 49ers as they had two shots on goal in the 77th minute but were still looking for an answer.
In the 81st minute, the Camels extended their lead with an insurance goal from junior forward Jackie Richards. Richards scored on an assist from senior Jessica Donald. Both goals were the first to be allowed by the 49ers this season.
Charlotte had one more chance on goal in the 89th minute as freshman Braelynn Francher had a shot that Reaghan Duval saved to end the game.
Campbell had a 13-8 shot advantage, while Charlotte had eight corners compared to Campbell's four. Amber Liston of Campbell led the game in shots with four.
"The second half was a pretty even game for both teams, and we will cut it to Campbell; they were better in the crucial moments," said Cullen. "In our crucial moment, we hit the crossbar; unfortunately, as we weren't quite sharp enough in front of the goal tonight...it's something we have got to look at and something we have got to focus on."
Next Up:
Charlotte will be back in action as they travel to Columbia in their next contest to face the Gamecocks of South Carolina on Monday, Sept. 6. The game starts at 7 p.m. at Stone Stadium, and ESPN+ will broadcast the game. The team will look to get back on track with a bounce-back victory.
"We will get ready for a difficult game Monday against a quality opponent in South Carolina," said Cullen.