Another strong season by Coach Gunn’s squad has resulted in the Charlotte 49ers Men’s Soccer team second NCAA Tournament appearance in the last three seasons. After a shootout loss to Xavier to open last year’s Atlantic 10 Tournament ended the 49ers 2010 season, Charlotte entered 2011 with a vengeance. The Niners started with a 7-1 record, including wins over fellow NCAA tournament teams Coastal Carolina, Elon and Virginia.

The Niners escaped the regular season with a 13-3-2 record, having been ranked every week of the season, even as high as 8th in some polls.

“The team has managed the season very well. We have picked up some injuries along the way, but that is always to be expected,” Coach Gunn said of his team’s performance this year, “Sometimes you can stagger over the finishing line being run down from mental fatigue and physical tiredness, but we are very strong right now and remarkably fresh for this time of year.”

Charlotte entered the Atlantic 10 Tournament as the third seeded team, in most part because of the imbalance of the Atlantic 10 Soccer schedule. The foe was Xavier, who dispatched the Niners in a shootout last season. And although Charlotte dominated possession in this year’s match, the ball didn’t find the net and extra time commenced.

“To win a soccer game you need to score one more than the other team…… More seriously I feel we played great at the beginning and fully deserved the 1-0 lead. Xavier fought their way back into the game to tie it up, but after that we were always the more likely team to score.” said Coach Gunn of Charlotte’s offensive aggression, adding, “We had the best chances and were the aggressor for much of the game. We were a little too loose defensively and so we were punished for that.”

Xavier got the victory in the third minute of extra time, sending the Niners back to The (Real) Queen City. Unlike last year, in which the team’s RPI was hovering in the 40′s, this year’s Niner squad had a solid Top 15 RPI, and never in doubt of making the 48-team field NCAA Tournament.

Charlotte was awarded an opening round home game against the Furman Paladins, a team Charlotte faced in 2009 and 2010 (both 1-0 Charlotte victories). The winner will play at UAB, an opponent Charlotte also faced in 2010, falling 2-1 on the road.

“They have some of the same players returning, as do we, so we both know a little about each other. I feel they have changed their style somewhat though,” Coach Gunn said of the familiar opponent, “In the past they have been very good at keeping possession but this year they have become a little more direct while still moving the ball well. The past two seasons we have played very close games with Furman and so I doubt this game will be any different. It is a great match up.”

All season has been a build up to this moment; a chance at getting the school’s second College Cup.

“Through the course of the season you hope to learn from the games, adjust and overcome adversity, and become more prepared as you go, and we are definitely at that point. The timing is good for us.”

But the team still has to execute, as the recent A10 Tournament losses to Xavier and the 2009 NCAA Tournament loss to UNC Wilmingtons how. Getting a win against Furman is the first step, and Coach Gunn will have his team prepared.

“We need to do what we have been great at all year long – do the things that have made us one of the best teams in the country. Be defensively organized and determined. We need to win the initial battle and then continue to dominate competing for the ball. On the ball we need to keep attacking with purpose and play the composed attacking soccer that has given us the lion’s share of scoring chances in every game but one this year. In creating chances we need to take them.”

The real season starts now, and the Charlotte 49ers need a sense of urgency to continue forward.

“The toughest challenge for the players is to strike a balance between urgency and composure – if we can do that we will win.”