Octavia Saunders joined Charlotte ahead of 2022 season after spending a short stint at High Point University during the 2022 spring season.

Prior to HPU she was a volunteer assistant at UNCG for one season after serving as the head coach of Division III Salem College for two seasons. She led the Sprits to a 12-6-1 mark in her second season in 2019 for the best single-season winning percentage of any coach in their first two seasons in Salem soccer history. Before leading Salem, Saunders spent three years as the assistant coach at Brevard College where she helped lead the Tornados to a 11-6-1 record in 2017 - a program-best since Brevard joined the NCAA ranks.

Saunders has also been involved with NC Fusion since 2019 and was recently elevated to the full-time College Recruiting Director in 2021 while also serving as the Assistant Director for the ECNL Girls.

A 2014 graduate of the University of Montevallo, Saunders appeared in 66 matches for the Falcons. The defender tallied two goals and a pair of assists for six points in her career and was a three-time member of the Peach Belt Conference Presidential Honor Roll. The Westward Ho, England, native graduated from Montevallo with a degree in Kinesiology.