49ers women tie in double OT

The Charlotte 49ers begin their 2011 women's soccer season with a 0-0 double-overtime tie against North Florida in Jacksonville. Charlotte has recorded a shutout in its first game the last three seasons.

Macky Wingo had the 49ers' best scoring chance when she banged a shot off the post in the 84th minute.

Charlotte finished with a 13-11 shot advantage.

-- Staff

Previewing 49ers women's soccer

The 49ers women’s soccer team opens its season tonight (Friday) in Jacksonville, Fla., against North Florida. Charlotte plays again Sunday against Jacksonville, then opens at home next Friday against Florida Gulf Coast.

2010 was bittersweet for the 49ers, who ended a step short of the NCAA tournament with a 4-3 loss in double overtime to Dayton in the final of the Atlantic 10 tournament.

And with six starters back, the 49ers are again picked to finish behind the Flyers in the conference. Charlotte will get its chances – all on the Flyers’ field. The final game of Charlotte’s regular season is at Dayton, and the league tournament is the following week at Dayton, too.

Returning is senior Macky Wingo, whose 12 goals and four assists led Charlotte (16-5) in scoring, despite the presence of Whitney Weinraub, the program’s all-time leading scorer who has since graduated.

The loss of Weinraub, as well as standouts such as Megan Minnix and Sam Huecker (now an assistant coach at Lenoir-Rhyne), mean young players will need to contribute quickly. Nineteen players on the roster are either freshmen or sophomores.

“We can’t use that as an excuse that we might not know each other as well as we will later in the season,” said coach John Cullen, a former 49ers men’s player who has a two-year record of 32-8-2 at Charlotte.

Although Charlotte’s four defenders from 2010 have graduated, the 49ers have senior Katie Davies back to anchor the defense. Davies missed last season when she injured her ankle while doing a forward flip before throwing the ball in during an exhibition.

“That’s a great weapon to have, almost like a good cross,” said Cullen. “I’m sure she’d love to do it again, but having seen what it did to her, we wouldn’t want to put her in risk’s way. It is one of her trademarks, though.”

Davies will be the leader of the defense, but there’s also experience in the goal, where sophomore Alex Kubrick and senior Natalie LaVigne split time last season.

And scoring goals shouldn’t be a problem, with Wingo, senior Obi Bernard (four goals, six assists last season), senior Jonna Handra (three goals, five assists) also back.

Newcomers to watch are freshmen Sara Trexler (midfielder/forward), Amanda Jones (midfielder/forward) and Darby Broeker (defender/forward).

Lane joins women's soccer staff

Former Belmont Abbey coach Robert Lane has been named an assistant women's soccer coach at Charlotte.

Lane left Belmont Abbey after last season for an assistant's job at Georgia Southern, but came to Charlotte after Sarah Denton left the 49ers' program. Lane was 31-8-1 in two seasons with the Crusaders, including an 18-2-1 mark in Conference Carolinas. Lane was the league's coach of the year last season, taking the Crusaders to a second consecutive NCAA tournament.

49ers play friendly at Winthrop

The 49ers' men's soccer team plays the first of two preseason exhibitions tonight at Winthrop (7 p.m.). It's the start of a season that holds a lot of promise.

Coach Jeremy Gunn's team returns nine starters from last season's Atlantic 10 regular-season champion. The major loss is striker Andres Cuero (who is playing for the Wilmington Hammerheads), who led the team with nine goals last season. The other starter, defender Justin Tucker, left the program.

Gunn thinks he has enough firepower to replace Cuero (whose goals were often clutch) -- Donnie Smith (six goals), Evan James four goals), T.J. Bealieau and Jennings Rex all return. The midfield is probably the strongest in the A-10, led by Tyler Gibson and Will Mayhew.

Gunn also thinks he has perhaps the best central defenders tandem in the country in seniors Isaace Cowles and Charles Rodriguez. They've started together since they were freshmen. Rodriguez is on the Hermann Trophy watch (college soccer's Heisman Trophy).

A freshman to watch is striker Giuseppe Gentile from Charlotte's Ardrey Kell High. "How can you go wrong with a name like that?" Gunn said.

Charlotte plays another friendly on Sunday at Transamerica Field against North Carolina, then opens its season Aug. 27 at Coastal Carolina. The home opener is Sept. 4 against UNC Wilmington. The non-conference schedule is really tough, highlighted by road games against Clemson, Virginia, Maryland and South Carolina.

-- Don't look for senior women's soccer player Katie Davies to use her unique forward flip throw-in this season. She injured her ankle and missed last season after she came down awkwardly while throwing the ball in during a preseason exhibition last season. Davies is back stronger than ever now, and will anchor what will otherwise be an inexperienced defense for the 49ers, who open their season Friday in a tournament in Jacksonville, Fla., against North Florida.

-- Charlotte golfer Olafur Loftsson will play in this weekend's Wyndham Championship in Greensboro. It's the first time an golfer from Iceland has played in a PGA Tour event. The tournament has received several requests from Iceland media to cover the event. Loftsson qualified for the Wyndham by winning last weekend's Cardinal Amateur.

Maxon aboard as assistant golf coach

The Charlotte 49ers have hired Joey Maxon as an assistant golf coach. Maxon, a former All-American at Clemson, was an assistant at East Tennessee last season. He joins first-year head coach Ryan Cabbage on the Charlotte staff.

Maxon helped Clemson to two ACC championships and two top-three finishes in the NCAA tournament. Maxon also played in two U.S. Opens. Before going to ETSU, Maxon was a teach pro at Maxongolf from 2007-10.

"With his background as a player, his understanding of the game, his work as an instructor -- that speaks for itself," said first-year head coach Ryan Cabbage. "He's a two-time All-American who played in a couple of U.S. Opens -- there aren't any of those guys out there."

-- 49ers soccer defender Charles Rodriguez has been named a preseason third-team All-American by College Soccer News. Rodriguez was also recently named the country's 39th best pro prospect by DropDrawerSoccer.com.   

49ers women selected 2nd in A10 preseason soccer

One day after Charlotte's men's soccer team was picked to win the Atlantic 10 championship, the 49ers' women are the preseason selection to finish second.

The 49ers (16-5 last season) were chosen to finish by the league's coaches behind two-time defending champ Dayton. Charlotte also had three players on the preseason all-conference team -- forward Macky Wingo, defender Katie Davies and midfielder Jonna Harper. Charlotte midfielders Amanda Jones and Sara Trexler also made the all-rookie team.

49ers basketball players gather for reunion

More than 35 players showed up recently for basketball coach Alan Major's second annual reunion. It's something Major started last August before his first season coaching the 49ers.

The turnout was excellent: Players like Cedric Maxwell, Kevin King, Diego Guevara and Byron Dinkins attended. It's a way, Major has said, to bring some continuity to the program and foster a lot of fellowship among the players. That and swap old stories amongst each other.

"You never have to ask to come home," Major told the players. "And this is your home."

A few other 49ers notes:

-- Charlotte's men's soccer team, which returns 10 starters from last season's Atlantic 10 regular-season championship team, has been picked to win the league this year. The 49ers have five preseason all-conference players: defender Charles Rodriguez, midfielder Tyler Gibson, forward Evan James, midfielder Donnie Smith and defender Isaac Cowles. Freshman forward Guiseppe Gentile (Ardrey Kell High) made the preseason all-rookie team.

-- The women's soccer team has started preseason practice. The 49ers, who won last season's Atlantic 10 regular-season title, open the season Aug. 19 at North Florida. The home opener is Aug. 26 against Florida Gulf Coast.

-- Charlotte's volleyball team has been picked fifth in the Atlantic 10's preseason poll. The 49ers (16-15 last season) open with a tournament Aug. 26-27 at Appalachian State, then open their home season Sept. 9-10 the following weekend with the Hilton University 49er Invitational, hosting Campbell, Morgan State and Furman.

-- According to a Twitter post by 49ers guard Luca Voncina, former Charlotte basketball player Gokhan Sirin has signed with pro club Anadolu Efes in his hometown of Istanbul, Turkey.