Independence Falls to One Knox 2-1 in League Quarterfinals
USL1 Charlotte Independence

Independence Falls to One Knox 2-1 in League Quarterfinals

Published on November 2, 2025 under United Soccer League One (USL1)
Charlotte Independence News Release


KNOXVILLE, TN - The Charlotte Independence's 2025 season came to a close Sunday evening, falling to One Knox 2-1 in the league quarterfinals.

The match came down to finishing chances. The Independence played an exceptional match against the regular season champions, outshooting One Knox 17-10. However, One Knoxville made due with their opportunities on target, finishing two of their four.

Goalkeeper #1 Sean Lewis was fantastic for One Knox, making five saves on the evening, including multiple reactionary stops on the doorstep.

It was the exact kind of start Charlotte was looking for as the road underdog and they nearly struck gold in the 13th minute. Off the re-cross from a corner, #99 Christian Chaney struck the woodwork.

One minute later and it was #26 Souaibou Marou who just missed. It was an excellent save from Lewis, who reacted very well to Marou's close-range header.

Just after Charlotte couldn't finish those chances, One Knox took theirs. #3 Sivert Haugli nodded home a corner kick to put the Players' Shield winners ahead in the 17th minute.

Lewis was One Knox's best player in the first 20 minutes as Charlotte continued to create grade-A chances. Again, his reactions were excellent, denying Marou's volley from in-close in the 21st minute.

One Knox had a glorious opportunity to double the advantage in the 43rd minute, but goalkeeper #31 Amal Knight was up for the task. He robbed #21 Stavros Zarokostas with a diving stop to keep Charlotte within striking distance.

Despite the strong half from Charlotte, the scoreboard read 1-0 One Knox heading to the second half and a big last 45 needed for the Independence to extend their season.

With expected urgency, the Jacks came flying out of the blocks to begin the second half. Lewis made a strong near-post stop on #9 Jon Bakero in the 49th minute. The flurry continued five minutes later as Chaney's free header in the 54th minute off a Bakero corner bounced over the bar.

Knoxville showed how lethal they can be on the counter and got their insurance goal in the 64th minute. Zarokostas showed off his speed, got in behind, and buried it into the side netting.

Finally in the 77th minute, Charlotte got their goal. Chaney finished off a lovely counter, knocking in a cross from #13 Anthony Sorenson and declaring "game on" for the final 12 minutes.

In stoppage time, Knoxville masterfully salted time away, shielding in the Jacks' corner. Once Charlotte finally worked it out of their end, no time was left for an attack and the hosts held on to advance to the semifinals, ending Charlotte's season.

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