Charlotte Eagles Drop Preseason Match with UNCC
March 19, 2013 - United Soccer League Championship (USL)
Charlotte Eagles News Release
Charlotte, NC -- The Charlotte Eagles opened their preseason with a 2-1 loss to UNC Charlotte on Saturday night at UNCC's practice field. The Eagles opened the scoring, but would not be able to hang on to the lead as the hosts rallied in the second half.
"The coaching staff was not unhappy with the way we played against UNCC. We never like to lose but after training for only 5 days we played fairly well in spots," said Head Coach Mark Steffens "We have a lot of work to do but I feel we will get there before our first USL match. The guys are training real hard and the chemistry is developing every day."
First year Eagle, Ben Newnam, would give the visitors a 1-0 lead in the 38th minute. Newnam, a defender from Wake Forest, dribbled his way through the 49er defense and sent a shot past the goalkeeper into the far bottom corner.
UNCC would equalise in the 42nd minute, sending the shot past new Eagles goalkeeper, Brock Duckworth, and into the top corner. After the halftime break the Eagles would change goalkeepers as the newly acquired Alonso Jimenez replaced Duckworth in the net. The 49ers would go on to notch the game-winning goal in the 58th minute off of a corner kick.
The night ended with a fun twist for the fans. As they were about to greet the players for pictures and autographs, the referees cleared the field and both teams took part in a penalty kick shootout. The shootout ended after six or seven rounds with Eagles goalkeepers Brock Duckworth and Alonso Jimenez rotating between shots.
The Eagles next preseason match will be at Davidson tonight at 6 pm.
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