BOCA RATON, Fla. – The Florida Atlantic University men's soccer team (3-4-0, 0-2-0) will be back at FAU Soccer Stadium Saturday night, as they receive a visit from Conference USA opponent No. 9 Charlotte (7-0-2, 1-0-1). Saturday's matchup marks the seventh consecutive year both teams have squared off since the Owls joined C-USA in 2013. FAU will take the pitch at 7 p.m. and admission is free to all fans.
After over a month of play,
Ivan Mykhailenko has taken charge of the Owls' offensive attack, leading the squad in multiple offensive categories, including goals (4), points (11) and shots (13). Senior
Alex Alexis follows with four points, all coming off assists, while
Edgardo Obregon has come alive in the last two matches, tallying his first goal of the season in the first minute of the game against No. 11 UCF. Freshman
Jose Alastuey also claimed his first collegiate goal last Tuesday off an assist by Mykhailenko.
Hagay Jalon and
Daniel Ragoo have split time at goalkeeper with over 300 minutes played a piece. Jalon (2-2-0) has captured 18 saves for a .720 save percentage and a 2-2-0 record. Ragoo (1-2-0) was called on for the start at UCF and has tallied 16 saves on the season.
All but one of the Owls' previous opponents have been ranked or received votes in the United Soccer Coaches Top 25 poll. That will not change, as the No. 9 ranked 49ers come to South Florida Saturday.
The 49ers are coming into Saturday night's C-USA matchup with a four-game winning streak. Charlotte has had a great year defensively, leading C-USA with a 0.62 goals against average with their goalie Elliot Panicco recording four shutouts on the season. The redshirt senior has played in all 867 minutes of play with 14 saves and six goals allowed on the season.
On the offensive side of the ball, the 49ers have outscored their opponents 19 goals to six, as well as in shots with a 127-72 ratio. Teddy Chaouche leads the 49ers in points with 18 (six goals and six assists) and several 49ers have stepped up in needed moments, with four different 49ers scoring two goals each on the season. Additionally, three different 49ers have been named to the College Soccer News' and TopDrawerSoccer.com National Team of the Week with those being Patrick Hogan (Sept. 3), Chaouche (Sept. 10) and Joe Brito (Oct. 1).
The Owls will take part in a Friday matchup against Keiser at 5:30 p.m. The men's team is on the frontend of the doubleheader at FAU Soccer Stadium with the women's team following at 7:30 p.m. with a C-USA showdown against UTSA.
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