Men's soccer opens tournament with victory

The Charlotte 49ers men’s soccer team opened play in its Nike Invitational with a 4-0 victory over Cal State Bakersfield (2-3-1) on Friday night.

Isaac Caughran had the game-winning goal in the tenth minute to lead the 49ers (3-1-1) past Bakersfield, which is the alma mater of head coach Jeremy Gunn and assistant coach Kyle Gookins.

Charlotte thoroughly dominated the match as the 49ers outshot the Roadrunners 19-9 with a 10-3 shot-on-goal differential. The shutout was also the first of the season for the 49ers and senior keeper David Martin.

The game sets up a showdown between local rivals Charlotte and Winthrop on Sunday at 7 p.m. for the tournament title. The 49ers haven’t lost to the Eagles in the last seven matches.