Pirates Look to Clinch American Tournament Berth at Charlotte Saturday

Game 14: East Carolina (5-8, 3-1 AAC) at Charlotte (6-8, 1-3 AAC)
Date	Saturday, April 19
Time	1:00 p.m. (ET)
Location	Charlotte, N.C. (Jerry Richardson Stadium)
Media Coverage	Live Stats: StatBroadcast Stream: ESPN+
Game Notes	East Carolina Notes
Fact Book	2025 Lacrosse Fact Book
Social Media	Twitter: @e culax Instagram: @eculax

GREENVILLE, N.C. – The East Carolina lacrosse team will travel to Charlotte on Saturday for a 1 p.m. contest with the 49ers. The game will be available for streaming on ESPN+ with Jon Gross on the call.

With a victory, the Pirates would officially earn their spot in the four-team American Athletic Conference Tournament. With a victory and a James Madison win over South Florida, the game against the Dukes on April 26 in Johnson Stadium would be for a share of the American Regular Season Championship and the top tournament seed.

Last Time Out
The Pirates won a thriller over Vanderbilt on Saturday. After leading then four goals, then trailing by two, Erin Gulden scored the tying goal with 26.7 seconds remaining before Riley Matthiesen took a looping feed from Leah Bestany for the stunner with 1.9 seconds remaining. Bestany led the team offensively with four goals and the one assist. Kayla Wilkes had a fabulous game, leading the team with six draw controls and three caused turnovers to go with two goals and an assist.

Scouting the 49ers
Charlotte enters the game with a 6-8 record, including a 1-3 mark in league play, just hanging on to remain in the hunt for the American Athletic Conference Tournament. Statistically, Kylie Gioia has starred with 74 points on 34 goals and 40 assists while Isa Torres has a team-high 46 goals. Defensively, Gianna Cutaia's 22 caused turnovers pace four players in double figures, including Bella Burke who also leads the way with 42 draw controls. Katie Ling has gotten the majority of the minutes in goal with 98 saves to a .419 save percentage.

Series History
This is the inaugural season for Charlotte, and the programs' first meeting.

Weekly Honors
Wilkes was named American Midfielder of the Week for her four-goal, two-assist, seven-draw control, five-ground ball, four-caused turnover output in two games last week. This included six DCs and three CTs against Vanderbilt, both team highs. Bestany also earned an Honorable Mention nod for her four goals and one assist in the Vanderbilt win.

It's Riley's World
Riley Matthiesen is just a sophomore but she's now got two of the most thrilling goals in program history with her game-winning goal in overtime at Temple and her buzzer-beating goal against Vanderbilt.

Pirates Look to Clinch American Tournament Berth at Charlotte Saturday

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Players Mentioned

Leah Bestany

Erin Gulden

Riley Matthiesen

Kayla Wilkes

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