Conference USA men’s soccer tournament: 5 things to know

The Charlotte 49ers’ TransAmerica Field is the site of this week’s Conference USA men’s soccer tournament. That is a huge advantage for the third-seed 49ers.

Charlotte (12-3-1, 6-2 C-USA), unbeaten and unscored on this season on its home field, plays a quarterfinal game at 7 p.m. Wednesday against No. 6 Ala.-Birmingham (6-8-3, 2-5-1). Here are five things to know about the tournament, the champion of which will receive an automatic bid to the NCAA tournament.

▪ The 49ers have been unstoppable at home, winning all nine of their games and outscoring their opposition 21-0 (9-0 against C-USA teams). The last time the 49ers had these kinds of defensive numbers was in their College Cup seasons: The 49ers had nine shutouts overall in 2011 and 12 in 1996. Charlotte hasn’t allowed a goal at home in the last 890 minutes of play, the longest streak at home in program history.

▪ 49ers goalkeeper Elliot Panicco, a Hough High product, has had an outstanding season. His save percentage of .885 leads the country and he also leads the nation with 11 clean sheets. His goals-against average of .42 ranks second nationally. Defender Patrick Hogan (Charlotte Catholic) actually leads the team with five goals and he’s the highest-scoring defender in C-USA. 49ers midfielder Teddy Chaouche leads the league in assists with 10.

▪ The 49ers beat UAB (6-8-3, 2-5-1) in their regular-season meeting, a 1-0 decision at TransAmerica Field in September.

▪ Top-seed Kentucky (15-1-1, 7-1) has the league’s leading scorer in J.J. Williams (14 goals, six assists).

▪ What’s the deal with New Mexico and Kentucky being in the C-USA tournament? The leagues their schools are affiliated with — the Lobos’ Mountain West and the Wildcats’ SEC — don’t sponsor men’s soccer. South Carolina also plays in C-USA but didn’t qualify for the tournament. New Mexico’s program — long one of the nation’s best — is being cut after this season for budget reasons.

Conference USA men’s soccer tournament

TransAmerica Field

Wednesday

2 p.m.: No. 4 Florida International vs. No. 5 Marshall

4:30 p.m.: No. 2 Old Dominion vs. No. 7 New Mexico

7 p.m: No. 3 Charlotte vs. No. 6 Ala.-Birmingham

Friday

4:30: No. 1 Kentucky vs. FIU-Marshall winner

7 p.m.: ODU-New Mexico winner vs. Charlotte-UAB winner

Sunday

1 p.m., championship game

This story was originally published November 6, 2018 at 1:10 PM.