Goals by #8 Joel Johnson (16’) and Rayan Djedje (39’)
CHATTANOOGA, T.N. (June 24, 2023) – The Charlotte Independence suffered a late equalizing goal by Chattanooga Red Wolves SC, resulting in a 2-2 draw on Saturday night at CHI Memorial Stadium. The Jacks continue the road stretch with the final matchup against North Carolina FC on Friday, June 30 at 7:00PM at WakeMed Soccer Park.
When asked about the team’s performance, Head Coach Mike Jeffries simply stated, “We threw away two points. We were very disappointed with the ending of the game. I know we’re capable of closing out a situation like that.”
Chattanooga had the first dangerous attempt of the match for either team as #98 Ryley Kraft fired a volley just shy of the left post in the sixth minute.
#10 Miguel Ibarra nearly put the Independence on the board in the 14th minute, but his shot from the center of the penalty area was deflected out of bounds for a corner kick.
Not long after, the Jacks found the opening goal by #8 Joel Johnson in the 16th minute, shot over the Chattanooga goalkeeper into the top right corner of the net. Ibarra recovered a ball in the defensive half and dribbled down the center of the field, untouched, until he slotted a pass to Johnson at the top of the penalty area.
The Jacks earned a series of corner kicks in the 33rd minute, and a header from #9 Dane Kelly almost found its way into the bottom right corner of the goal.
In his first start for the Independence, #21 Rayan Djedje doubled the lead in the 39th minute with a close-range shot off a pass from #7 Avionne Flanagan.
“I always do my utmost to help the team win, and if today I was able to contribute by scoring, that is great,” Djedje commented.
Just before the break, #11 Tresor Mbuyu forced a tough save from #12 Carlos Avilez on a tight angle near the endline.
Halftime: Chattanooga Red Wolves SC 0, Charlotte Independence 2.
The Red Wolves threatened in the 57th minute, but #1 Austin Pack safely diverted #22 Aaron Lombardi’s header out of bounds. A header by #14 Pedro Hernandez was the breakthrough for Chattanooga in the 61st minute, cutting the lead in half.
The Independence continued attacking as #17 Clay Dimick served a cross to #90 Khori Bennett on the back post, but his effort resulted in a Chattanooga goal kick. Pack was called into action not long after in the 72nd minute, making a quick save with his feet from close range.
In the 77th minute, the Red Wolves went down to 10 men for the remainder of the match after #17 Omar Gomez was shown a red card for a dangerous tackle.
Dimick played a role in the offense again with a shot over the crossbar in the 86th minute off a through ball from #3 Hector Acosta. Bennett kept the pressure on Chattanooga with a powerful strike directly at the goalkeeper in the 87th minute. #6 Omar Ciss almost joined the scoresheet in the 90th minute, but a sliding defender blocked the attempt.
With 10 minutes of stoppage time added, #14 Luis Alvarez struck one off the crossbar, and Chattanooga made a save on the goal line to deny Bennett’s follow-up attempt. Soon thereafter, Dimick’s shot was deflected away to #2 Fabrice Ngah whose shot was hit right at the goalkeeper.
“We could have done a better job and made better choices at the end of plays to put ourselves in a better position at the end of the game,” Jeffries added.
In heartbreaking fashion, the Red Wolves equalized in the 97th minute with a goal by #11 Chevone Marsh on a fast break.
“We are disappointed because we know that we left two points on the field,” Johnson shared. “Obviously it’s good to score goals again, but it should have been enough to close the game.”
Full time: Chattanooga Red Wolves SC 2, Charlotte Independence 2.
NEXT ON THE SCHEDULE: The Charlotte Independence will play the final Dogwood Derby match against North Carolina FC this season on Friday, June 30 at 7:00 p.m. at WakeMed Soccer Park. Fans can live stream the match for free on Bahakel Sports.
