BOCA RATON, Fla. – Knowing her team needed a goal to make a difference, All-America candidate and two-time reigning Conference USA Offensive Player of the Year Martha Thomas did what she has done more often than any player in Charlotte women’s soccer history. She found the back of the net, with just under three minutes left in regulation, and carried the 49ers past No. 21 Rice, 1-0 in an upset at the Conference USA Championships Quarterfinals Wednesday.

In a tightly-contested battled between the top-seeded and regular-season champion Owls and the No. 8 Niners, who are back in the tournament defending their crown from a year ago, it came down to a late score providing the slimmest of margins as Charlotte (10-8-1) handed Rice its only league defeat of the campaign, regular season or tournament and first loss since Sept. 8.

The play started with sophomore Riley Orr sending a long free kick from near the midfield circle into the 18-yard box. After the ball was redirected by the head of the Owls’ Erin Mikeska to the right side of the penalty area, sophomore Megan Greene, who joined Thomas on the All-Conference USA First Team, attained possession.

Greene, with her back to the net and a Rice (12-3-2) defender tightly guarding her, turned over her right shoulder to locate Thomas back towards the middle of the box. Thomas received the pass and one-touched a hard shot back across the goal mouth to the left post, burying it behind Conference USA Goalkeeper of the Year Maya Hoyer at 87:11.

The score is career game-winning goal No. 13 for Thomas, matching Whitney Weinraub (2007-10) for the program’s all-time record. It is one of four school standards Thomas owns or shares and her career is not over, yet.

It raised her illustrious career totals to 46 goals and 118 points, further extending those school marks from second-place Weinraub.

The shutout is the fifth solo of the season for Abby Stapleton. The All-Conference USA Freshman Team honoree registered six saves, including a leaping stop of Conference USA Midfielder of the Year Samantha Chaiken’s attempt with under a minute to play in the opening half, in her first league tournament action.

Thomas’ shot was one of just two in the second period for the Niners. She finished with three of the team’s seven attempts overall in the contest, tying for the second-lowest total of the year.

The 49ers hung a loss on a nationally-ranked opponent for the first time since defeating No. 17 Clemson Sept. 16, 2007, as part of the Carolina's Cup tournament at Transamerica Field. The program also owns triumphs over No. 13 UNCG Sept. 1, 1998 and No. 14 Marquette Oct. 11, 2002, against Top-25 competition during its 24-year history.

It marks only the second time in Conference USA Championships history a No. 1 seed fell in the quarterfinals to a No. 8 seed. The only other year in which it happened was in 1999 when Southern Miss topped Saint Louis in Farmers Branch, Texas.

It also is the first time Charlotte has ever defeated Rice in the five-match series. Wednesday’s contest was the first between the two programs to be played at a neutral site.

The victory advances the 49ers into Friday’s semifinal round at 11 a.m. where they will meet the winner of No. 4 seed Louisiana Tech and No. 5 seed Old Dominion.

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