Photo credit: Charlotte Athletics
The nationally ranked men's soccer team plays host to the Florida International Panthers Saturday Night at TransAmerica Field. The 49ers currently sit in a three-way tie for second place in AAC standings with FIU and South Florida, with all boasting a 2-1-0 conference record. Memphis currently sits in the top spot with a 3-0-0 record after knocking off the Niners 1-0 last Saturday night in Tennessee. There's still plenty to play for as the Tigers have trips to USF and FIU on the schedule down the stretch.
Six out of eight AAC teams will earn the right to play in the conference tournament, with the top two getting a bye to the semifinals. The first round will be played on the home field of the 3 and 4 seeds while the semifinals and final will be played on the pitch of the top-seeded team. A potential home-field advantage during the conference tournament would be huge for the Boys in Green as they've only conceded once in the last 12 hours of play at TransAmerica Field, a penalty seconds into the second half against USF.
It's never too early to start looking forward to the NCAA Tournament, and through ten matches Charlotte has positioned itself wonderfully. Charlotte is currently ranked 16th in the NCAA's RPI ranking released this morning, while FIU is 41st. This means Saturday's match against FIU will be a Quad 2 game, with the potential to move up to Quad 1 if the Panthers enter the top 30. October 23rd's match @ Elon will almost surely be a Quad 1 game come selection day, as Elon currently sits at #37 in the RPI Rankings. The Phoenix would have to fall outside the top 75 for that match to fall into the Quad 2 designation.
The NCAA puts just as much, if not more emphasis than the AAC on regular season results, as all matches during the tournament are played on the higher-seeded teams' field up until the College Cup (Final 4). 48 teams get an invite to the Big Dance, all single elimination, with the top 16 getting a bye to the second round where they will have a game at home. Teams seeded 17-32 overall will host in the first round, while the final 16 teams given a bid would have to play at minimum their first two matches on the road. The 49ers are no stranger to November soccer, having hosted a match in two of the past three seasons in the NCAA Tournament.
Saturday's tilt is the second to last regular season home game for the 49ers, with the final tilt coming on Sunday, October 27th vs. UAB. I'll be there and hope to see y'all too!
Most importantly, Come On You Boys in Green!
