Charlotte Dismantles Richmond 3-0 for Second-Straight Win
May 8, 2015 - United Soccer League Championship (USL)
Charlotte Independence News Release
Charlotte Independence vs. Richmond Kickers
(Charlotte Independence)
ROCK HILL, S.C. (May 8, 2015) - It was sweet revenge for the Charlotte Independence on Friday night when they downed visiting Richmond Kickers 3-0. Earlier in the season Richmond had defeated Charlotte by the same score line at City Stadium. It was an ensemble performance for the Independence with goals from Patrick Slogic, Marlon Hairston, and Ryan Finley.
Charlotte was gunning for the goal from kickoff. Independence Captain Jorge Herrera combined well with midfielder Alex Martinez to create a chance for fellow midfielder Paolo Del Piccolo in just the third minute of the match. Del Piccolo got a foot on the ball, but it wasn't enough to steer it into the goal.
It was all Independence for 89 minutes, but Richmond had a serious chance in the sixth minute when forward Eli Garner got between the centerbacks, but could not get around Charlotte goalkeeper John Berner. By the time Garner set himself up for the chance Charlotte had loaded the line with defenders and cleared the effort.
Charlotte opened the scoring in the 25th minute when Finley was fed through on goal by Hairston. Just seconds before the goal, Finley had broken through the back-line and won a corner. Richmond thought they had the danger cleared, but Hairston stripped an unassuming George Davis IV and snuck a ball into Finley. It was a wide angle finish for Finley, but he made no mistake about it and walloped it into the roof of the net.
The Independence gained further steam when Richmond were forced to 10 men in the 40th after defender Alex Lee was shown a red card. With more space to pass the ball around, Charlotte gained full control of the game and pushed Richmond deep into its own half.
Charlotte doubled its lead just after the restart with a short corner. Herrera weaved through a couple defenders before slotting it in for Slogic. It was an easy finish for the defender who now has two goals in the last two games.
Determined to put the game to bed, the Independence continued to push the tempo. Richmond seemed to have just settled into the game after a couple minutes of possession, but Finley and Hairston had other plans. A corner to Richmond led to a fast break for Charlotte. Finley recovered the cleared pass and after gracefully slipping through a sliding challenge, turned the ball up field and ran 30 yards before playing the ball in for Hairston. The on-loan defender turned on the afterburners and with a curling one time effort made it 3-0.
"Early in the season, the breaks weren't really going our way," Finley said. "But now it's two in a row for us. We are really building momentum and we hope to keep on a roll."
The Independence saw out the game with Richmond unable to mount a threatening attack with just 10 men. It was Charlotte's second consecutive win after defeating Louisville City FC last week.
"It's huge for confidence, first and foremost, especially here at home," Hairston said of the wins. "We had great support tonight. I feel like the coaches really had us ready for tonight after this week's training."
"It was big to be able to build on the win," Head Coach Mike Jeffries said. "It was really nice to be able to play the same group. It was big step for us to close out the game. We have a good way of playing that we are getting comfortable with. We've made good steps since the beginning of the season."
Friday night's match was played at Winthrop University's Eagle Field in conjunction with The Carolinas' Kickin It Challenge, a club soccer tournament and auction that raises funds and awareness for the fight agains breast cancer. The tournament is sponsored by Discoveries Soccer Club, the same program in which Alex and Enzo Martinez started their playing careers.
The Independence are on the road next week, as they travel to Pennsylvania for a rematch with the Harrisburg City Islanders on Saturday, May 16. The match will be played at Skyline Sports Complex, with kickoff scheduled for 7:00pm ET. Fans can watch the match live on YouTube.
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 Charlotte Independence vs. Richmond Kickers |
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