Defender #4 Nick Spielman scored his second goal of the season
The Charlotte Independence extended their longest unbeaten streak in club history with a 1-0 win over Central Valley Fuego FC on Saturday afternoon at American Legion Memorial Stadium. The Jacks now turn their attention to the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup. The Independence take on USL Championship side Charleston Battery on Tuesday, April 25 at 7:00 p.m. at Patriots Point in Charleston, South Carolina.
“It’s three points and getting a win and a shutout at home is huge and I’m so happy with that. I think the game on both sides was tired at times on a reasonably hot day and coming off the game a couple of days ago,” Charlotte Independence Head Coach Mike Jeffries said. “We didn’t have the pace and intensity we would have liked to have played with. I give our guys credit because we battled through it and found a way to get a result.”
The Independence started the match on the front foot. Midfielder #56 Gabriel Obertan took a shot from outside the box that was saved by the Fuego goalkeeper and out for the Jacks first corner kick of the match in the 4th minute. Less than 10 minutes later, forward #90 Khori Bennett also put a shot on frame, but was kept out.
Charlotte stayed in Central Valley’s attacking end for the majority of the first half, and the Jacks made it count in the 29th minute. After a Fuego foul, midfielder #7 Avionne Flanagan sent in a cross from the right side to defender #4 Nick Spielman. From there, Spielman headed it into the net for his second goal of the season to take a 1-0 lead.
“It feels amazing. I mean last season with my old team I barely scored so to come here and get two in about five or six games I’m pretty happy about it,” Spielman said. “I think so far everybody is putting their body on the line, doing what they’re supposed to do and I think we’re coming together pretty well and eventually towards even further in the season we will be even better.”
Jeffries had to go to his bench for the first time in the 42nd minute. He replaced Obertan with forward #11 Tresor Mbuyu just before the half ended. Fuego had its best opportunity in the first half in stoppage time. Central Valley forward #20 Villyan Bijev took a shot from the top of the box that fired off the post and stayed out.
At the half, Charlotte Independence – 1 Central Valley Fuego – 0.
“It’s always good to go out there and get three points. We knew both teams were coming off a game mid-week and we wanted to set the tone early. That first goal definitely helped. There is a lot to improve on but as you know we go away with three points and we can be satisfied with that.”
The Jacks first chance in the second half came in the 55th minute. The Independence found space on the right side with forward #11 Tresor Mbuyu. He ran down the wing and crossed it into midfielder #10 Miguel Ibarra at the top of the box, but he could not put the shot on target.
Jeffries made three substitutions to bring in fresh legs to close out the match in the 66th minute. Defender #8 Joel Johnson, forward #14 Luiz Alvarez and defender #2 Fabrice Ngah entered the game to seal the victory.
The Independence earned a man advantage in the 71st minute when Central Valley’s Adrian Vera was sent off with his second yellow card of the match. Alvarez received the ball from Spielman in the attacking half when Vera brough Alvarez down and forced Fuego to finish with 10 men.
Even down a player, Central Valley continued to attack, but the Jacks defense stayed strong. Goalkeeper #1 Austin Pack was called into action in the 87th minute. Fuego pressed and won the ball high up the field and moved the ball in the box for one last chance. Forward #8 Victor Falck put a shot on frame, but Pack dove to his right and kept it out.
“I thought today we obviously did a better job of limiting their chances that they created,” Jeffries said. “We held down the fort when the game got desperate for them when they pushed and we managed that stretch pretty well. Defensively I feel like it’s a good team effort. Everybody is contributing.”
That was the last chance for either team, as the Jacks earned a 1-0 win to return to the top of the table.
NEXT ON THE SCHEDULE: The Independence travel to Patriots Point in Charleston, South Carolina to take on the Charleston Battery in the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup. Fans can purchase tickets at seatgeek.com.
