CHARLOTTE, N.C. – The Charlotte 49ers men’s soccer (3-1-1) squad played an ideal game in their opening match of the Charlotte Nike Invitational as they came away with a 4-0 victory over California State Bakersfield (2-3-1). Isaac Caughran had the game-winning goal in the tenth minute to lead the Niners past CSUB, which is the alma mater of head coach Jeremy Gunn and assistant coach Kyle Gookins.

“The match was a good tussle in the first half as both teams looked very sharp. They tried to put us on our back foot with their aggressive attack, but our defense performed really well tonight and we were able to slow down their offense” added Gunn.

Charlotte thoroughly dominated the match as the 49ers outshot the Roadrunners, 19-9, with a 10-3 shot on goal differential. The shutout was also the first of the season for the 49ers as senior keeper David Martin earned his 20th blank sheet.

“The shutout feels brilliant because I haven’t had a shutout this year and it was time for one,” stated Martin. “The defense and I had been allowing too many goals lately so it feels good to get one.”

Adam Gross assisted on Caughran’s goal in the opening minutes as he laid the ball off for the charging sophomore midfielder near midfield. Caughran took a few touches and then ripped a shot from 30 yards out on the right side of the pitch and his shot flew past CSUB goalkeeper Eric Shannon to give the 49ers the 1-0 lead.

Adding Charlotte’s second goal in the first half was Evan James, who received a pass from Andres Cuero and kicked a screaming ball from 25 yards out that sailed over Shannon’s head giving Charlotte the 2-0 advantage and the sophomore forward his third goal of the season.

The Niners took their 2-0 lead into halftime as they held a 9-3 shot advantage over the Runners in the first meeting between the two schools.

“I thought we played really good because we didn’t know what to expect from them because they are a west coast team and we rarely play teams from that region,” said Martin. “Our defense was really strong today and we kept our backline tight throughout the game.”

Opening the second stanza was Jason Hawes in the 47th minute with a breakaway goal that was set up by Luke Exley. Exley played the ball forward to Hawes, who charged down the left side before beating CSUB’s new goal keeper Shane Ascheri in a one-on-one situation by shooting the ball into the near post.

Senior forward Josh Norwood added the finishing touches to the game as he headed in a Hawes corner kick in the 76th minute to give the Niners the 4-0 lead.

Martin made three saves in the game as he advanced his season record to 3-1-1.

“David was called upon tonight to play well and he did just that by making big saves against CSUB,” said Gunn. “He didn’t see a ton of action, but when we needed him he dominated the goal area with some great saves.”

The game sets up a showdown between local rivals Charlotte and Winthrop on Sunday at 7 p.m. for the title of the Charlotte Nike Invitational. The 49ers haven’t lost to the Eagles in the last seven matches as they hold a 4-0-3 advantage which dates back to 1982.

“The game against Winthrop will be an exciting game because they always play an attacking style of soccer so it will be a great contest for the fans,” described Gunn.