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Silverbacks surge in comeback victory

March 14, 2015 - North American Soccer League (NASL)
Atlanta Silverbacks News Release


ATLANTA - USL expansion-side Charlotte Independence visited the Atlanta Silverbacks on Saturday for the Atlanta's first professional competition of the preseason. With their first test squarely in front of them, the Silverbacks (2-0-1 preseason) responded from a second half deficit for the, 2-1, victory to stay unbeaten in three matches.

"With Charlotte being our only professional opponent this preseason, the challenge was a genuine one for the boys," first-year Silverbacks head coach Gary Smith said. "Charlotte showed that they are probably ahead of us in their preparation, but our job as a coaching staff is to evaluate where we are as a team and decide where we will go as a team. This match showed us a lot of places we can improve and a lot of places that we are doing well."

Atlanta and Charlotte closed the first half level on scoreless terms, with possession balanced between the teams. Silverbacks goalkeeper Steward Ceus was the busiest of the two keepers, sprawling to make a trio of acrobatic saves in the first 45, before second-half substitute C.J. Cochran saw out the final stanza.

"We closed the first half without much creativity on offense, but we also closed it on a clean sheet thanks to some great saves by Steward," Smith said. "The boys then showed a lot of determination, falling behind early in the second period. To come back and earn the result and victory was an accomplishment."

Charlotte kicked off the second half with a goal just 10 minutes into the action. The visitors chipped Atlanta's backline and slotted a low shot past Cochran.

Five minutes later, Silverbacks forward Jaime Chavez shattered the Independence backline with a clockwork run through the middle of the pitch. Man-of-the-Match Jonathan Okafor threaded a ball from the center circle, hitting Chavez for the assist 28 yards out. The second-year Silverback calmly charged Charlotte's keeper to bury the right-footed equalizer from 20 yards away.

After 20 minutes of back-and-forth play, Okafor again took center stage with the game-winning strike. Midfield trialist Fabrice Guatrat lined a right-of-center, 26-yard free kick toward the far post, where Okafor finished a nodding header to take the lead. The pair celebrated their glory with the northside supporter's section, Terminus Legion, before closing the team's second victory of the year.

"It was a great feeling," Okafor said. "You always want to get your first goal for a new club as early as you can, and I was happy to get it in our first real 90-minute game against pro competition. Charlotte is a great team, but Fabrice and I worked on that exact set piece earlier this week - on Thursday, I think. Coach told us the play to execute and I knew where I had to be to connect with the ball he sent in. It was a great ball and I was able to put it away.

"Terminus Legion was loud the whole game so when I got the goal, there was nowhere else I could imagine going to celebrate."

The Silverbacks entered the match 1-0-1 after a scoreless draw and a 1-0 victory over Georgia Southern University and Georgia State University, respectively, on March 7.

"The second half was a different picture than the first, with some pleasant surprises that I didn't exactly expect from some players," Smith said. "We will take a look at the game footage tomorrow and get started toward fixing what we need to in preparation for our regular season."

The Silverbacks open the NASL Spring Season on April 4 against the Indy Eleven at Atlanta Silverbacks Park. The club is offering a special Home Opener Gift Pack, which includes four general admission tickets for only $48 (savings of $32 from box office price) or four reserved tickets for only $68 (savings of $52 from the box office price). To purchase tickets, call the Silverbacks Ticket Office at 404-969-4900.

POSTGAME QUOTES

MIDFIELDER JONATHAN OKAFOR:

On his first Silverbacks goal "It was a great feeling. You always want to get your first goal for a new club as early as you can, and I was happy to get it in our first real 90-minute game against pro competition. Charlotte is a great team, but Fabrice and I worked on that exact set piece early this week ... on Thursday, I think. Coach told us the play to execute and I knew where I had to be to connect with the ball he sent in. It was a great ball and I was able to put it away. What a great feeling too, to score a late game-winning goal. It's important to be able to send the fans home with a victory; we are 2-for-2 now and we have to keep that going into the season on April 4."

On celebrating with Terminus Legion "Terminus Legion was loud the whole game so when I got the goal, there was nowhere else I could imagine going to."

HEAD COACH GARY SMITH

On the match "With Charlotte being our only professional opponent this preseason, the challenge was a genuine one for the boys. Charlotte showed that they are probably ahead of us in their preparation. Our job as a coaching staff is to evaluate where we are as a team and decide where we will go as a team. This match showed us a lot of places we can improve and a lot of places that we are doing well."

"The boys showed a lot of determination, falling behind early in the second period. To come back and earn the result and victory was an accomplishment. We closed the first half without much creativity on offense, but we also closed it on a clean sheet thanks to some great saves by Steward Ceus."

"The second half was a different picture than the first, with some pleasant surprises that I didn't exactly expect from some players," Smith said. "We will take a look at the game footage tomorrow and get started toward fixing what we need to in preparation for our regular season."

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