Sports stats



USL1 Charlotte Independence

Jacks Settle for Draw on the Road Against Tormenta FC

September 21, 2024 - United Soccer League One (USL1)
Charlotte Independence News Release


STATESBORO, Ga. - The Charlotte Independence split points with South Georgia Tormenta FC after a 3-3 draw at Tormenta Stadium on Saturday evening. The Jacks host Forward Madison FC on Friday, October 4 at 7:30 p.m. at American Legion Memorial Stadium. Tickets are available at charlotteindependence.com/tickets.

HOW IT HAPPENED:

The possession was mostly even in the first 10 minutes, but Charlotte had the most dangerous chances until Tormenta unexpectedly took the lead in the 13th minute. #10 Pedro Fonseca snuck a shot in the back of the net from a tight angle after a quick break.

#6 Omar Ciss tested the goalkeeper in the 20th minute with his first shot of the night as a low strike from distance was deflected out of bounds for a corner kick.

The Jacks tied the score in the 24th minute with an own goal by #28 Aaron Walker. A dribble from #11 Tresor Mbuyu set up a cross aimed towards #14 Luis Álvarez who pressured the defender enough to force the ball past the Tormenta goalkeeper.

Mbuyu had a similar chance again in first-half stoppage time, but his cross was cleared before reaching an Independence player.

Halftime: South Georgia Tormenta FC 1, Charlotte Independence 1.

Charlotte's leading scorer, #29 J.C. Obregón Jr., fired the Jacks into the lead in the 59th minute with a stunning strike. #27 Bachir Ndiaye blocked an attempted long ball by Tormenta in the middle of the pitch. It deflected towards Obregón Jr. who dribbled for a few yards before unleashing a swerving shot from distance.

The lead was extended to 1-3 after a corner kick swung in by #21 Dustin Corea was headed in the back of the net by #11 Jackson Khoury for an own goal in the 74th minute.

Down two goals, South Georgia fought hard on the attack looking for a way to get back in the game. #1 Austin Pack saved a long-range shot, but the rebound landed right at the feet of #9 Sebastián Vivas who netted the ball for a Tormenta goal.

In the final few minutes of stoppage time, Tormenta tied the game with a goal by #21 Philip Spengler from the top of the penalty area.

Fulltime: South Georgia Tormenta FC 3, Charlotte Independence 3.

IN THE NUMBERS:

#29 J.C. Obregón Jr. scored his 12th goal of the USL League One season, which is tied for the lead in the golden boot race.

#27 Bachir Ndiaye was credited with his first assist of the season.

Ndiaye won 11 of 13 duels in the match, including three of three aerial duels.

#19 Nathan Gray became the youngest player to appear for the Independence in club history at 16 years, 9 months, 28 days.

QUOTES:

Head Coach Mike Jeffries

On dropping points

"I'm really disappointed that we gave away two points and were in a really good position to finish the game out and we should have. I thought we played pretty solidly for most of it, but we didn't manage the end of the game as well as we needed to."

On the offensive production

"The game had a pretty open flow. We had a few chances early that we didn't finish or were saved. We pushed the game the rest of the first half and did well to get it to 1-1. We felt pretty good coming into halftime, managed to find a couple goals in the second half, and put ourselves in a position to win the game, but we needed to close it out."

NEXT ON THE SCHEDULE:

The Charlotte Independence return home against Forward Madison FC on Friday, October 4 at 7:30 p.m. Tickets are available 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 September 21, 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