USL Charlotte Independence

Zahorski Plays Hero in Charlotte's 2-1 Victory over Charleston

June 20, 2015 - United Soccer League Championship (USL)
Charlotte Independence News Release


Charlotte Independence in Action
Charlotte Independence in Action
(Charlotte Independence)

CHARLOTTE, N.C. (June 20, 2015) - Tomasz Zahorski made the difference on a muggy southern night in a tightly contested game between rivals Charlotte Independence and Charleston Battery. Charlotte prevailed 2-1 against the visitors thanks to Zahorksi's 90th minute strike and moved to 4-4-3 on the season.

"On the night it was nice to come back and fight through and gut out a game that wasn't always the prettiest or the easiest for us," Head Coach Mike Jeffries said. "It was a toughness boost for us."

Charlotte came into Saturday's match after success in a midweek matchup against MLS side New England Revolution, leading Jeffries to make seven changes to last weekend's starting 11. Despite the rotation, the Independence came out with three vital points.

"As a team, the guys all have a great deal of confidence in each other," Jeffries said. "It was good to have fresh guys to give us a little bit of a boost."

The Independence got on the scoreboard first, despite Charleston's seeming domination of the first half. Just before the stroke of halftime, forward Ryan Finley bagged his fourth goal of the season. Independence midfielder Enzo Martinez picked out Finley in the middle of the box on a corner and the forward smashed it home.

Charleston's response was quick, and in the 53rd minute midfielder Jarad van Schaik equalized with a beautiful curling corner kick. It was a goal even the most casual observer could appreciate. The left-footed midfielder bent it in over a helpless Charlotte defense from the spot.

Both sides struggled to create after the goal, but the Charlotte's Jorge Herrera showed his quality yet again in setting up Zahorski's goal. The midfielder found a bit of space on the edge of the box and streaked a low cross to the forward's foot on the back post. Zahorski made no mistake and opened up his USL account with a finish to the side-netting.

"As a striker you always want to score goals, so it felt really good to score tonight," Zahorski said. "I think it was really important for us as a team to get three points. We always want to win. And I think it was a very important goal for the community and the area as we open this new stadium."

The Independence will be back in action at Ramblewood Stadium Friday night as they host the Richmond Kickers for the second time this season. Charlotte now has 15 points in 11 games as it pushes to make the USL playoffs.

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Charlotte Independence in Action
Charlotte Independence in Action
   



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