Pirates Split the Points with Charlotte, 2-2

Thursday, September 26

Charlotte, N.C.

12:00 p.m.

East Carolina University

4-2-4, 1-1-1

Charlotte

1-6-4, 0-1-2

East Carolina

Charlotte

September 26, 2024 | Soccer

Box Score

CHARLOTTE, N.C. – The East Carolina soccer team had to settle for a draw with Charlotte in their third league contest on Thursday afternoon. Twice the Pirates jumped in front and twice the 49ers had an answer on the day.

The rivalry match lived up to the billing with two teams hungry for a result as conference play gets truly under way. The Pirates (4-2-4) got a lightning quick start in the game when, after earning a corner in the opening seconds, Mackenzie Smith served up a ball which took an Abby Sowa deflection right to the feet of Sydney Schnell who put her shot home cross-bar down just 49 seconds into the game. The goal was Schnell's team-leading third on the season and was the fastest goal by an ECU player since Jenna Dages scored 19 seconds into a 3-2 loss against Houston on Sept. 27, 2019.

The 49ers (1-6-4) were able to equalize in the 26^th minute when Braelynn Francher's free kick was delivered perfectly to the head of Amelia Brown who placed the ball near post for the leveling goal.

The second half began with a similar tale, an early corner kick set up a perfect Smith delivery. This time it was Sowa who finisher herself with a header to the far post to put the Pirates back in front by a 2-1 margin. It was Sowa's second goal of the season and first since scoring the winner against NC State in the opener.

Sowa nearly doubled up on another corner in the 60^th minute when she sent a beautiful corner to the far post, but a Charlotte defender was able to clear it off the line for a team save. The attempt represented probably the best chance for either team which did not result in a goal.

Keeping it within one, Charlotte took advantage, leveling the game on a terrific strike by Reese Black with under five minutes to play in the game. The goal came at the end of a long period of strong attacking play for the 49ers.

Notables

Mackenzie Smith's assists represented her first points in Purple and Gold as the transfer has found her footing with the Pirates.
At 41:18 played, Maeve English became the second ECU keeper to reach 7,000 career minutes played. Amber Campbell owns the program record with 7,690 career minutes. It was also English's 78^th career start, tied for sixth in program history.
On a related note, Annabelle Abbott's start gave her 75 career starting nods, tied for 10^th in program history.

Up Next
The Pirates play host to North Texas on Sunday at 1 p.m. in Johnson Stadium. The game will be free to attend for fans and available for streaming on ESPN+.