When Charles Rodriguez jogged onto the pitch for the dramatic penalty kick that would send Charlotte past Connecticut and into the College Cup, he didn’t see much.

 

He didn’t see Huskies 6-foot-4 goalkeeper Andre Blake – one of the very best in the country – or Connecticut’s hostile crowd.

 

He fixed his eyes on the ball; he locked onto the target and he drove Charlotte past every obstruction in its path.  

 

And that pretty much sums up the way the 49ers have played during this NCAA Tournament. They’re the only unseeded team in the College Cup, but don’t call them an underdog.

 

They don’t see it.

 

“We knew we were good enough to get here,” Rodriguez said. “But there are no fairytales. We felt like if something was going to happen we had to make it happen ourselves.” 

 

And what a great ride it’s been. Charlotte opened the tourney with a victory over Furman, took out UAB, then followed up a win over defending national champion Akron with a victory against the program many felt would capture this year’s title – Connecticut.

 

Sounds like a whirlwind of upsets, but look more closely at Charlotte’s path and it’s easy to see how they climbed to this point. 

 

Mostly, defense. 

 

The 49ers have allowed just three goals in their four tourney games to give them a chance in every contest.

 

And this isn’t exactly a new development either. 

 

The closest thing the 49ers had to a bad loss during the regular season was when they allowed a season-high three goals in a 3-1 loss to Maryland.

Other than that, it’s been rock solid for a unit that includes upperclass defenseman Aaron Weldon, Isaac Cowles and Rodriguez.

 

“We’re not a team that has a lot of big names, but we have players who are definitely hard workers and will go the extra mile,” Rodriguez said. “We’re disciplined, well organized and we show up to compete.” 

 

Creighton should remember that. The Bluejays are the latest obstruction standing in the way and while Charlotte won’t be looking past them, they’ll surely be fixed on their latest target – the national championship.