CONWAY, S.C. – The Coastal Carolina men's soccer team opened up its 2023 season with an exhibition match against the Charlotte 49ers at the CCU Soccer Stadium on Saturday.

CCU suffered a 1-0 loss to the 49ers after Natsuki Ogata scored the only goal in the match in the 60^th minute off an assist from Riyon Tori.

The Chants had five transfers, one freshman, and three returners take the field in the starting IX and saw a total of 19 players secure their Coastal debut.

"I was really pleased with the effort and performance of many of our guys tonight," stated head coach Shaun Docking. "It was a wonderful opportunity for us to play a lot of guys against a very good Charlotte team and to take a good look at many different types and groups of players as we look to build our team cohesion moving forward."

CCU will next face Francis Marion on the road on Aug. 15 at 5 p.m. ET.

For complete coverage of CCU men's soccer, follow the Chants on social media at @CoastalMSoccer (Twitter), Facebook.com/CCUChanticleers (Facebook), @GoCCUSports (Instagram), or visit the official home of Coastal Carolina Athletics at www.GoCCUsports.com.