Fourth-straight year appearing in playoffs and sixth in the club’s nine-year history
CHARLOTTE, N.C. (September 30, 2023) – The Charlotte Independence clinched a spot in the USL League One playoffs with a 1-1 draw against One Knoxville SC on Saturday night. The Jacks are on the road for the final time in the regular season against Union Omaha on Wednesday, October 4 at 7:30 p.m. All away matches can be streamed for free with Bahakel Sports.
The draw secured a playoff spot for the Independence for the fourth-straight season. This will be the sixth playoff appearance in nine years of the club’s history. More details about the first round of playoffs will be shared once determined.
When asked about enjoying the moment of clinching playoffs, Head Coach Mike Jeffries shared, “We’ll enjoy it tonight, but it’s straight to work tomorrow. We need to get a good sense of where guys are physically and how we go about Wednesday against the team that’s been the hottest in the league.”
The Independence started on the attack early in the match with multiple dangerous chances. The most threatening opportunity came in the 13th minute as #8 Joel Johnson’s free kick on the edge of the penalty area was tipped over the crossbar by the Knoxville goalkeeper.
Fortunes turned in the 19th minute as One Knoxville took the lead through a goal by #14 Jimmie Villalobos. The striker hit a side volley into the far corner of the net out of the reach of #1 Austin Pack.
“They’re a very good team,” Jeffries commented. “We had a tough time with them for three games, and they’ve all been like this one. Credit to them, they stretched us defensively and managed to get a goal out of it in the first half. I give our guys a lot of credit. We showed a lot of character and fought really hard.”
The Jacks continued attacking, looking to level the score. In the 27th minute, Johnson served a dangerous cross towards #9 Dane Kelly directly in front of goal. #11 Tresor Mbuyu took possession from a deflection and fired a shot just past the far post. A cross from #6 Omar Ciss streamed through the center of the penalty area looking for Kelly in the 36th minute, but Knoxville cleared the attempt.
In stoppage time of the first half, Pack made his 106th save of the season, setting a new USL League One record for saves in a single season.
Halftime: Charlotte Independence 0, One Knoxville SC 1.
Right out of the gates, the Jacks tested the Knoxville goalkeeper in the 50th minute. #56 Gabriel Obertan lifted a cross to Kelly in front of goal. His low shot was saved by #1 Sean Lewis, and Ciss’ shot off the rebound was blocked out of bounds for a corner kick.
Charlotte tied the score at one apiece in the 58th minute thanks to an own goal by Knoxville. A well-struck corner kick by Johnson created chaos in the penalty area, forcing One Knox to attempt a clearance which ended up in the back of the net instead.
“We knew what we had to do today,” #27 Bachir Ndiaye commented. “We were focused. We knew we needed a point, so we stayed solid. We went down in the first half but managed it in the second half.”
The Jacks pressed the Knoxville defense for most of the final third of the game, and the Independence defense held strong against multiple stoppage time corner kicks from the visitors to secure a tie.
Full time: Charlotte Independence 1, One Knoxville 1.
“We want to host a playoff game, so we need to go to Omaha and try to get three points and finish at home with three more,” #10 Miguel Ibarra explained.
NEXT ON THE SCHEDULE: The Charlotte Independence will play its final road match of the regular season against Union Omaha on Wednesday, October 4 at 7:30 p.m. All away matches can be streamed for free with Bahakel Sports.
