In 1991, the Charlotte 49ers men’s soccer team won their first NCAA Men’s Soccer Championship, beating the Southern Methodist University (SMU) Mustangs 2-1 in the final. The 49ers had previously made it to the national semifinals in 1986 and 1988, but had never won the championship before. The team was led by head coach Frank Kohlenstein, who had been with the program since 1977 and had built it into a national contender.

In the championship game, the 49ers got off to a slow start and fell behind early in the first half when SMU’s Brian Haynes scored a goal. However, the 49ers rallied in the second half, with midfielder John Cullen scoring the tying goal on a penalty kick. Then, with just over 10 minutes remaining in the game, forward Bill Spencer scored the game-winning goal for the 49ers, assisted by midfielder Brian Kendall.

The win marked a historic moment for the Charlotte 49ers men’s soccer program, as it was the first NCAA championship for any sports team at UNC Charlotte. The 49ers would go on to win two more NCAA championships in men’s soccer in 1996 and 2011, establishing the program as one of the most successful in the history of college soccer.