Back-to-back Atlantic 10 women's soccer conference champions, Charlotte, have started off conference play firing on all cylinders.
After two consecutive loses, in which they were shutout against No. 16 Wake Forest (8-3, 1-2 Atlantic Coast Conference) and held to one score against Virginia Tech (6-4-2, 1-1-2 ACC), the 49ers have won their first three conference matchups. In those three games, they are averaging over five goals per game. Charlotte looks to continue its hot streak when it hosts Temple (3-5-3, 0-1-2 A-10) this Friday.
After recording her first career hat-trick, Charlotte (7-3-1, 3-0 Atlantic 10) junior midfielder, Hailey Beam, led the 49ers to victory against St. Bonaventure (6-6, 1-3 A-10) and La Salle (5-5-2, 1-2-1 A-10). Last week she was named to Soccer Buzz's National Elite Team of the Week and earned A-10 Player of the Week honors, another first in her career.
Beam was named to Soccer Buzz's National Elite Team of the Week last season as well after being named MVP of the A-10 Tournament.
Charlotte freshman forward, Oni Bernard, was named A-10 Rookie of the Week for the second time this season, continuing the 49ers' streak of having a player receive the honor each of the last three weeks.
Bernard scored a goal and added an assist in a win against Saint Louis (5-3-3, 1-2 A-10). She has tallied a total of 15 points on the season, tying her for fourth in the conference.
Richmond off to best start ever
Though tied for second in the conference with Fordham (6-4-1, 3-1-0 A-10), Richmond has the best overall record in the A-10. The Spiders (9-2-1, 3-1 A-10) have gotten off to their best start in school history after shutting out UMass, 1-0, recording their third consecutive victory. Richmond improved their perfect record to 7-0 at home.
The Spiders travel to Pittsburgh this Friday to face Duquesne (4-3-3, 2-1-1 A-10), which has won two of its last three games.
Dayton on the rise
Dayton has quietly climbed up the conference after starting the season with a sub-par record. The Flyers' (8-3-1, 2-0-1 A-10) defense has been the reason for the turnaround in their last five games, holding opponents to a total of two scores, posting a record of 4-0-1.
URI and Xavier's offenses struggle
Xavier has had a disappointing season as they sit at the bottom of the conference. The Musketeers (1-9-1, 0-2-1 A-10) have had no offense to speak of and have suffered shut outs in half of their total games.
The same can be said of Rhode Island's offense, which has been shut out in its last four games. The Rams' (4-8-1, 0-4 A-10) chances at winning the conference now seem bleak after a promising start. Rhode Island hosts Dayton this Friday as it looks to get back to their winning ways.
NCAA Woman of the Year
Recently graduated Charlotte woman's soccer star, Lindsey Ozimek (2004-07), is one of the 30 candidates for the 2008 NCAA Woman of the Year award. The three-time All-Conference selection remains on the list after the original was narrowed down from 130 to just 10 from each division (I, II, III).
Ozimek led Charlotte to the 2007 A-10 title in her senior year, well-warranting her the honor of possibly receiving this prestigious award. The NCAA Committee on Women's Athletics will choose a national winner from among nine finalists, three from each division, announced next month.
Jay Asser can be reached at jasser@student.umass.edu.
Be the first to comment on this article!