<body><div><img src="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?type=thumbnail_580x000&amp;url=4FZBKa_0wDDoKQJ00" alt="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?url=4FZBKa_0wDDoKQJ00" width="800" height="450" ><h2>Story Links</h2>TULSA, Okla. -- A Brigham Larsen goal in the sixth minute and two saves by keeper Leonard Stritter was all that was needed for Charlotte Men's Soccer (7-1-4, 3-1-1 AAC) to leave Tulsa, Okla., with a 1-0 victory over the Golden Hurricane Friday (Oct. 18) evening.With the win against Tulsa (2-8-1, 1-3-1) and Memphis' defeat to South Florida, the 49ers are again tied with the Tigers for first place with 10 points in the American Athletic Conference.Already leading the country in team goal against average and shutout percentage, Charlotte improved upon those numbers with its eighth shutout in 12 games. The Niners have allowed just six goals this season for a season-leading .500 goal against average and a .666 shutout percentage.HOW IT HAPPENEDIn the sixth minute, Luke Husakiwsky played a killer through ball to Ryan Dunn, who promptly delivered a first-time cross towards the six-yard box. The Tulsa keeper missed the interception and the cross found Larsen back post for an open net goal.Defensively, Stritter faced six shots from the Golden Hurricane but only two were on target. For his save in the 14th minute, the Frankfurt, Germany native showcased his elite reaction time and also why the Charlotte defense is the best in the nation. The quick-thinking junior made the diving stop off of a smashing volley by Tulsa.Stritter's second save was also in the first half, coming in the 28th minute. He made a diving save to corral a header that was set up by a free kick.In the second half, the Charlotte offense had a couple of chances to provide even more breathing room on the scoreboard. In the 60th minute, Larsen found himself one-on-one with the keeper but he was dispossessed by a central defender as he was setting up for a right-footed shot. That clear-cut chance was set up by a beautiful long ball from Andreas Evangelou, whose pass scaled the back line of Tulsa defenders to Grant Stewart. Later, Larsen penetrated deep into the box, before beating his defender and sending in a cross to Casey McCloskey. With the Golden Hurricane keeper still out of position, McCloskey had a look at an open goal but he could not place his shot on target.MORE FACTSCharlotte earned its first win in three weeks after draws to Saint Louis and FIU, and the loss to Memphis.The Niners secured the win while only putting one shot on goal in the match. Overall, Charlotte was outshot 3-6 to Tulsa.Larsen scored his first goal since the season opener. The senior forward from Oslo, Norway registered a goal and an assist against Davidson on August 23.In the 31st minute, Natsuki Ogata was originally given a straight red card for a slide tackle but after a video review, it was downgraded to a yellow.In the 87th minute, Tulsa received two yellow cards for arguing a call. The Golden Hurricane wanted a handball called on Ian Pilcher in the box but it was a natural position for the senior defender as he was sliding to deflect a cross attempt.McCloskey made his second start of his Charlotte career. His first time in the starting eleven came against UNCG on September 13. Stewart made his fourth start of the season and first since September 2. The sophomore forward had missed the previous four games before this match against Tulsa.ALL EYES ON THE AMERICANMemphis suffered a surprising 1-0 defeat on the road at South Florida. The Bulls scored in the 33rd minute and had to commit to playing a man down for the final 18 minutes of the match.The path to hosting the 2024 American Athletic Conference Championship opens up further as two more conference wins for the 49ers and another loss/draw for Memphis would potentially move the league tournament to Charlotte.If Charlotte and FIU both finish the season with the same amount of points, the tiebreaker would be goal differential in AAC play. The Niners are currently plus-four in conference-only contests while FIU is plus-two.The Niners play their final non-conference game of the regular season when they make the 100-mile trek north to Elon to play the Phoenix on Wednesday, Oct. 23. Kickoff is scheduled for 7 p.m.</div></body>

Mountain View, CA

NewsBreak

Niners Back Tied for First Place in AAC with 1-0 Shutout of Tulsa

TULSA, Okla. -- A Brigham Larsen goal in the sixth minute and two saves by keeper Leonard Stritter was all that was needed for Charlotte Men's Soccer (7-1-4, 3-1-1 AAC) to leave Tulsa, Okla., with a 1-0 victory over the Golden Hurricane Friday (Oct. 18) evening. With the win against...