Jacks Rally for Late Tie against Lexington SC

Sports stats



Charlotte Independence

Jacks Rally for Late Tie against Lexington SC

August 3, 2024 - United Soccer League One (USL1)
Charlotte Independence News Release


CHARLOTTE, NC - The Charlotte Independence battled back for a 3-3 draw with Lexington SC thanks to a pair of late goals on Saturday evening at American Legion Memorial Stadium. The Jacks host Greenville Triumph SC on Saturday, August 10 in the USL Jägermeister Cup. Purchase tickets at charlotteindependence.com/tickets.

HOW IT HAPPENED:

Lexington's first dangerous chance of the match came in the ninth minute as a through ball put #32 Ates Diouf in on goal. #1 Austin Pack raced out to block the shot.

The Jacks showed off good passing and movement around the pitch, leading to a central shot for #6 Omar Ciss in the 19th minute which was deflected out of bounds for a corner kick.

The visitors took the lead in the 27th minute with a long-range shot against the run of play by #17 Cameron Lancaster. A breakaway goal scored by Diouf doubled the lead for Lexington in the 39th minute. The deficit for Charlotte was 0-3 in the 45th minute as #21 Christian Lue-Young scored with a shot while dribbling towards the endline.

#56 Gabriel Obertan helped the Jacks stay within reach with a goal scored in stoppage time of the first half. #13 Anthony Sorenson received the ball in the penalty area and narrowly passed it back to Obertan as Sorenson was getting tackled by the goalkeeper. Obertan calmly slotted the ball into the back of the net.

Halftime: Charlotte Independence 1, Lexington SC 3.

#11 Tresor Mbuyu entered the match as a substitute after the break and instantly created a chance on offense.

A scramble in the penalty area in the 62nd minute almost resulted in a second goal for Charlotte, but the Lexington defense blocked all attempts at goal. #29 J.C. Obregón Jr. had a dangerous chance, but his shot sailed wide.

The Independence controlled possession for much of the second half and continued fighting. #77 Clay Obara entered as a substitute and brought new energy to the offense for the final 10 minutes of regulation. Obara passed a short corner kick to Sorenson whose cross found the head of #27 Bachir Ndiaye for a goal in the 85th minute.

Charlotte used this energy to find a tying goal only two minutes later as a loose ball in the penalty area was finished by Obregón Jr.

As both teams were scrambling to find a game-winning goal in stoppage time, #7 Rayan Djedje made a huge block in the six-yard box on a wide open shot for Lexington.

Fulltime: Charlotte Independence 3, Lexington SC 3.

IN THE NUMBERS:

#56 Gabriel Obertan scored his third goal of the season. This was his 11th goal contribution across all competitions this year.

#21 Dustin Corea made his Charlotte Independence debut after joining the team in July.

#27 Bachir Ndiaye scored his first career professional goal.

#13 Anthony Sorenson recorded two goal contributions in the match for the first time in his career.

#29 J.C. Obregón Jr. scored his 10th goal of the USL League One season which leads the league and ranks ninth on the Charlotte Independence all-time single-season scorers list.

QUOTES:

Head Coach Mike Jeffries

On a poor start to the match

"The first 15 minutes we fell into a false sense of security. We were very comfortable with the game and relaxed. After they scored, we didn't react well. We lost composure and other things that were working for us for the remainder of the half until we got the first goal. We were fortunate that we scored right before the end of the first half to come in with a little bit of life and belief."

On the substitutes making an impact

"The guys that subbed on did a really good job of impacting the game. Obviously Bachir was huge, not just because of his goal, but he started bossing the midfield and made a big difference."

On what the team can learn from this performance

"It gives us some belief and confidence that we can come back from a bad situation, hang in the game, and get a result. We'll try to take as many positives as we can from it. Hopefully we'll also learn to be ready from the beginning, but credit to the guys for the mentality and to the subs for changing the tempo of the game."

#27 Bachir Ndiaye

On scoring his first professional goal

"I was very excited to get my first goal. I missed the first chance, and got a little too excited on the first chance, but I'm excited to get the goal and open my career with a bang for sure."

On preparing for a busy August

"We know with the games coming up, they're going to be tough games and we're at the second half of the season, so we'll just keep working hard, training and keep the momentum going."

#13 Anthony Sorenson

On his two assists on the night

"It felt good coming into the game, playing higher up in that winger position. I haven't started there since I was younger, but it felt good getting to run back with the guys."

On staying motivated to fight back for the result

"We stayed motivated by thinking back to our two or three recent wins on the road, and we just tried to keep that same mentality to keep the streak alive."

NEXT ON THE SCHEDULE:

The Charlotte Independence host Greenville Triumph SC on Saturday, August 10 at 7:00 p.m. in the USL Jägermeister Cup. Purchase tickets at charlotteindependence.com/tickets.

Check out the Charlotte Independence Statistics

• Discuss this story on the United Soccer League One message board...

United Soccer League One Stories from August 3, 2024


The opinions expressed in this release are those of the organization issuing it, and do not necessarily reflect the thoughts or opinions of OurSports Central or its staff.

OurSports Central