CHARLOTTE, N.C. – Charlotte scored three unanswered goals to complete a come-from-behind 3-2 victory over UAB Friday evening during a driving rain storm at Transamerica Field in the women’s soccer Conference USA opener. The 49ers improve to 16-4-1 all-time in league openers in the program’s history.

Charlotte (5-5, 1-0 C-USA) rallied for the win behind the play of junior transfer Katie O’Neill, who factored into all three of the Niners scores. She tallied the team’s first two goals, while adding an assist on the game winner, for her best contest to-date in a Charlotte uniform.

O’Neill ignited the comeback with her first goal of the evening on an unassisted tally at 26:18. She made a run down the right side of the 18-yard box towards the end line before cutting back to the top of the six-yard area. She then shot low to the far corner past Blazers netminder Kelsey Daugherty for her second score as a 49ers player.

Just over five-and-a-half minutes later, she found the equalizer. Junior defender Kaitlin Walker sent a long high pass ahead to O’Neill, who volleyed the ball on one-touch into the cage at 31:55 to knot the scoring at 2-2. O’Neill’s two goals make her the only other player besides Martha Thomas with a multi-goal scoring match since the start of the 2014 campaign.

Thomas’ game winner came at 76:55, as senior Loren Reilley started the play forward with a serve to the right side, finding O’Neill a few strides shy of the end line. O’Neill then sent a beautiful cross into the penalty box, where Thomas was completing her run and was able to put her foot on the pass to redirect it past Daugherty.

The goal for Thomas is her 11th of the season, tying her with Temple’s Kelly Farrell, LSU’s Jordin Baucom and Mississippi Valley State’s Nykosi Simmons for the national lead. The 11 scores match her output from a year ago when she earned TopDrawerSoccer.com Freshman All-America and Conference USA Freshman of the Year accolades.

The 11 goals also put her into a ninth-place tie with herself in the school’s single-season charts.

As the teams entered the locker rooms at the half, the 49ers had found their offensive footing after falling behind early, 2-0. Caroline Kehrer put UAB (1-7, 0-1 C-USA) ahead early, at 2:27, when she received a through pass from Megan Key-Adams before sending her shot high over goalkeeper Annika McHenry, who had come off her goal line in an attempt to play the ball.

The Blazers then jumped ahead 2-0 at the 16:25 mark when Marin Carter sent a through ball onto Paige Hanks’ feet. Hanks then buried the attempt to the far netting as the initial rain began to let up.

The rain storm dampened other chances for both sides, although the Niners doubled up UAB on shot attempts, 16-to-8. Thomas paced all players with five shots, while O’Neill finished with three. Kehrer paced the Blazers with three shots.

Charlotte will take a week off before picking back up in conference play for its first league road swing of the season. The 49ers begin the weekend in Hattiesburg, Mississippi, against Southern Miss at 5 p.m. ET Oct. 2 before heading to Murfreesboro, Tennessee, for a 3 p.m. ET start against Middle Tennessee.

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