Charlotte plays its first D1 game on Saturday, Feb. 8, 2025.
CHARLOTTE, N.C. โ Just two-and-a-half years ago, they had nothing.
“We didn’t have a locker room,” said Charlotte 49ers women’s lacrosse coach Clare Short. “We didn’t have uniforms. We didn’t have sticks. We didn’t have players, that’s for sure.”
But they had a vision. And on Saturday, they’ll play the first game in program history.
The 49ers host Gardner-Webb at 12:30 p.m., at Jerry Richardson Stadium. Admission for all Charlotte’s games this season is free.
“We can’t wait,” player Lily Barger said. “I feel like everyone that’s been here has really put in so much time and effort.”
Added Aly Prasinos: “I want this to be the pride of Charlotte. I want our team to be really, really special.”
Short, the former coach at D2 programs Queens and Lenoir-Rhyne, took the job in June 2022 with a tall task: make something out of nothing, and be a competitive Division 1 program by 2025.
“It’s been hard to see all the pieces come together,” she said, “just because we all are so new.”
While Short has been here for a few years — many of the players have not.ย
Midfielder Aly Prasinos transferred from Louisville just last fall.
“It really means a lot to me to be able to start something and build something from the ground up,” said Prasinos. “I think it’s cool that there hasn’t been anything since before us and we’re starting it from the beginning.”
Short has filled her roster with players from traditional lacrosse hotbeds like New York and the Mid-Atlantic.ย
This year there’s just one Charlotte area player on the Charlotte 49ers: Defender Lily Barger, a Weddington H.S. graduate who played at Wofford and has been named first-team all-conference in the preseason.
“I kind of want to be that first person that people look up to,” Barger said. “At the end of the day, it’s all about giving back. I coach kids all the time. I want to try and instill that you can do it, being from the south you are able to compete with top-level athletes.”
Short says the team is relishing in their underdog role.
“I really just want us to showcase what we have,” she said. “We have so much talent, so much potential on this team. To finally showcase that to the crowd, the university and the fans is going to be incredible.”
Contact Nick Carboni at ncarboni@wcnc.com and follow him on Facebook, X andย Instagram.
