#17 Clay Dimick and #4 Nick Spielman scored their first USL League One goals.
RICHMOND, V.A. (April 1, 2023) – The Charlotte Independence rose victorious over the Richmond Kickers 1-2 on Saturday night at City Stadium in Richmond, Virginia. The Jacks remain unbeaten in three games. Next, they’ll face North Carolina rivals NCFC for the first time in the 2023 USL League One season. That match kicks off on Saturday, April 8 at Sahlens Stadium at WakeMed Soccer Park in Cary, North Carolina.
“I thought we started slowly,” Charlotte Independence Head Coach Mike Jeffries said. “I thought our first goal got us into the game, fantastic goal and fantastic play. We kind of manufactured the second goal, and from that point on I thought we held onto the game pretty well.”
Goalkeeper #1 Austin Pack made an immediate impact on the match with a save in the 12th minute. #91 Owayne Omar Gordon for the Kickers received a pass from #32 Emiliano Terzaghi inside the Jacks 18-yard box. Gordon took the right-footed shot, and Pack, diving to his right, made a key block to keep it level.
Charlotte Independence Captain #17 Clay Dimick scored his first professional goal in the 12th minute to put the Jacks on the board first. After a high-pressing attack by Richmond, Charlotte broke in transition and found #6 Omar Ciss. Ciss passed to Dimick who pushed it up field to forward #11 Tresor Mbuyu. Mbuyu played a pass into and #9 Dane Kelly who laid it off to Dimick continuing his run into the box. First time, he hit the strike into the bottom right corner of the goal.
“This was a huge result for us early in the season,” Dimick said. “We knew it was going to be a fight and we were up for it. This team showed we can grind out a win in a tough environment and that’s always a good sign.”
The Jacks gained more confidence and started to press later in the half. Mbuyu put in a quality, low cross to #56 Gabriel Obertan. He took the shot from outside the 18-yard box. It curled towards the right side of the goal but was saved by Richmond’s keeper.
Minutes later, Richmond attacked from the wing and served a cross into Charlotte’s box to find Gordan. He headed the ball into the left side of the net past goalkeeper #1 Austin Pack and leveled the score, 1-1.
Just before half, the Independence high press forced the Kickers to make two big turnovers. First, it was Obertan who cut off a pass. He found Ciss at the penalty spot who missed wide. Then, it was Obertan who had the look at goal but was unable to convert.
At the half, Richmond Kickers 1 – Charlotte Independence 1.
The Jacks continued to put the pressure on in the second half. In the 47th minute, Charlotte earned a corner kick. #10 Miguel Ibarra put up a service that led to a shot from outside the box. It was deflected and eventually cleared away by the Kickers.
At the other end, Pack made back-to-back saves including a punch away from a curling Richmond cross.
In the 61st minute, the Independence earned a free kick outside the 18-yard box. Ibarra stepped up to take the kick. He played a quality service into the mix and it fell to the foot of defender #4 Nick Spielman for the tap-in goal in the bottom left corner giving the Jacks the go-ahead goal.
Spielman scored his first USL League One goal after just three games with Charlotte.
“It feels very good to get my first goal for the independence,” Spielman said. “I don’t score often so it’s always a happy moment for me. I’m just glad I could help the team get three points. It was a great game from everyone on the team and out focus now turns to Wednesday in the Open Cup.”
Richmond continued to find opportunities in the attack. In the 63rd minute, the Kickers played a deep cross to the back post, but Dimick was there to clear it out of play for a corner kick.
In the 82nd minute, the match entered a weather delay due to lightning in the area which lasted two and a half hours.
“We handled the weather delay really well,” Jeffries said. “It was nice to go into it with a 2-1 lead obviously with the break. We had good concentration, good mentality to come out and close the game out as we did. I thought we managed the last few minutes well. They threw everything at us but we didn’t give anything away.”
Back on the pitch with 10 minutes remaining in regulation, Charlotte worked hard to keep the ball up and away from their defensive third. As a result, they earned three corner kicks although unable to find the brace.
The final minutes ticked away as Richmond continued knocking at the door. Quick passes and combination play led to a cross from Gordon and a header by #99 Kharlton Belmar, but Pack again came up with the save.
The Jacks held Richmond scoreless in the second half to earn a big 3 points on the road and hold their place at the top of the USL League One Standings.
NEXT ON THE SCHEDULE: The Charlotte Independence remain on the road taking on North Carolina rivals, NCFC at Sahlens Stadium at WakeMed Soccer Park in Cary, North Carolina on Saturday, April 8th. First kick is set for 7:00 PM. Fans can live stream the match for free on Bahakel Sports.
