CHARLOTTE, N.C. – Charlotte women’s soccer will look to build upon its Conference USA Championships title and NCAA Tournament berth last fall as it gets set for the 2017 campaign, as head coach John Cullen unveiled the schedule Tuesday. The 49ers will play host to nine games at Transamerica Field, plus one exhibition, and face another daunting slate of opponents as they defend their crown.

“We’re obviously excited to head towards 2017,” Cullen said. “When we looked at our schedule, we certainly wanted to test ourselves early and often. We have a very, very difficult start to the season. It will be a very tough opening stretch during the month of August.

“But, the schedule is what it is. We wanted to play some of the best teams in the country. We stretched ourselves last season by playing North Carolina and South Carolina and we felt those kind of games helped us, prepared us and made us stronger, better mentally and physically for Conference USA. Hopefully, we’ll see some similar results in terms of preparation towards the conference portion of the season. I’m very excited about the schedule. It’s very tough and very challenging but that’s what the players want.”

Charlotte will participate in two exhibition matches before the regular season gets underway. The 49ers will play host to Georgia State at 7 p.m. August 7 and then head to Blacksburg, Virginia, to meet the ACC’s Virginia Tech at 7 p.m. August 12.

The Niners then start regular-season action in Tampa, Florida, August 18 against USF. The Bulls finished last fall with a 12-3-3 ledger, including an unbeaten record in non-conference play. The two squads last met, in Charlotte, during the 2015 campaign in the first clash in 12 years.

In-state foe UNC Greensboro will serve as the home opener, Monday August 21 at 7 p.m. The 49ers and Spartans have not squared off since 2000 in the Queen City and it will mark only the third meeting in the series to be played at Transamerica Field.

Charlotte will then play host to the SEC’s Georgia at 7 p.m. Friday August 25 in the first matchup between the programs since 2009. The Bulldogs registered six victories last fall, however, one-half of them came against league foes in the always tough SEC.

The 49ers then hit the road for a three-game road swing, all while staying within the state borders. The trip begins at 1 p.m. Sunday August 27 in Winston-Salem against Wake Forest of the ACC. The Demon Deacons, who hold the distinction of being the highest-ranked opponent to play at Transamerica Field when they were No. 5 in the last meeting in 2012, posted a perfect 8-0 mark in non-conference action in 2016 before struggling in conference action.

September begins with the conclusion of the three-match road slate, a weekend of contests at Gardner-Webb in Boiling Springs Friday September 1 and at Western Carolina in Cullowhee Sunday September 3. The Niners hold a combined 6-0 record all-time against the two opponents, including a 5-1 triumph over the Catamounts in last year’s season opener at Transamerica Field.

The non-conference portion of the schedule concludes the following week when Charlotte returns home to play host to VCU and East Carolina. The Rams will be in the Queen City for a 7 p.m. Friday September 8 matchup in just the third all-time meeting. The 49ers have won each of the previous two tilts.

East Carolina will be the opponent at 1 p.m. Sunday September 10, marking the third-straight season in which the two sides have squared off. The Pirates have won the last two by one goal in a series which dates back to the 49ers’ first season in 1994.

Charlotte will then continue its season-best four-game homestand with the first two Conference USA matches at Transamerica Field. League play starts at 7 p.m. Friday September 15 against Marshall. The two programs met in the regular-season finale last fall. The Thundering Herd were also the Niners’ first opponent in the league tournament in 2013, their first season back in the conference.

FIU then comes to town for a 1 p.m. Sunday September 24 contest. Charlotte dominated last year’s meeting, winning 4-0 on the road in Miami, but the Panthers are under the direction of new head coach Sharolta Nonen in 2017.

The 49ers then embark on their longest road trip of the campaign, heading to the Lone Star State, to meet UTEP in El Paso September 29 and UTSA October 1. Charlotte knocked off UTEP in the 2016 Conference USA Championships Semifinals to advance to the finals, while using a double-overtime goal by league player of the year Martha Thomas to hold off UTSA at home last season.

The Niners then return home at 1 p.m. Sunday October 8 against Florida Atlantic in a rematch of last year’s tournament championship contest. The two sides, who battled to a scoreless tie during the regular season, met again in the final with Charlotte using three first-half goals to claim early momentum and defeat the Owls, 4-0, to clinch the fifth NCAA Tournament berth in program history.

The 49ers will next play the final full road weekend in the middle of the month, traveling to Louisiana Tech and Southern Miss for games October 13 and 15, respectively. Charlotte earned home shutouts over both opponents last fall, including then-senior and second-team all-conference member Katie O’Neill tallying a hat trick against the Lady Techsters on Senior Night. Thomas added the lone tally against the Golden Eagles on a penalty shot.

Home matches will conclude at 7 p.m. Thursday October 19 against North Texas and 1 p.m. Sunday October 22 against Rice in two contests against two of the traditional conference stalwarts. The Mean Green won the C-USA regular-season crown last fall but fell in the semifinals to Florida Atlantic, while the Owls were the No. 2 seed but were upset by UTEP in the quarterfinals.

Charlotte then puts a cap on the regular season Friday October 27 in Norfolk, Virginia, against Old Dominion. The all-time series between the programs is 1-1-1 with each of the last two meetings extending into overtime.

Florida Atlantic will play host to the Conference USA Championships, beginning with the quarterfinals Wednesday November 1. The championship is slated for Sunday, November 5.

Stay tuned to the program’s official Twitter account (@49ersWSoccer) for more updates this summer leading into the start of preseason training.

2017 Charlotte women’s soccer schedule
Aug. 7--Georgia State (exh.)--7 p.m.
Aug. 12--at Virginia Tech (exh.)--7 p.m.
Aug. 18-at USF--7 p.m.
Aug. 21-UNC Greensboro--7 p.m.
Aug. 25-Georgia--7 p.m.
Aug. 27--at Wake Forest--1 p.m.
Sept. 1--at Gardner-Webb--6 p.m.
Sept. 3--at Western Carolina--2 p.m.
Sept. 8--VCU--7 p.m.
Sept. 10--East Carolina--1 p.m.
Sept. 15--Marshall*--7 p.m.
Sept. 24--FIU*--1 p.m.
Sept. 29--at UTEP*--9 p.m.
Oct. 1-at UTSA*--1 p.m.
Oct. 8--Florida Atlantic*--1 p.m.
Oct. 13--at Louisiana Tech*--8 p.m.
Oct. 15--at Southern Miss*--1 p.m.
Oct. 19--North Texas*--7 p.m.
Oct. 22--Rice*--1 p.m.
Oct. 27--at Old Dominion*--7 p.m.
Nov. 1-5--Conference USA Championships (Boca Raton, Fla.)--TBA
                                                    
* - Conference USA matches
All home matches in bold played at Transamerica Field
All times Eastern and subject to change

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