Goal by #11 Tresor Mbuyu (21’)
OMAHA, N.E. (October 4, 2023) – The Charlotte Independence fell to Union Omaha, 4-1, in the final road game of the regular season on Wednesday evening. The Jacks will play the regular season finale at home against South Georgia Tormenta FC on Saturday, October 14 at 7:00 p.m. Tickets start at $12.
“It was an intense game with a little bit of a playoff-type atmosphere,” Head Coach Mike Jeffries shared. “It’s a tough night but maybe a good one to get out of our system before the end of the season. I was proud of the energy and the effort the guys put in and the intensity that we played with. The scoreline doesn’t reflect the balance of the game, but that happens sometimes.”
The Owls took the lead in the 20th minute with a one-touch finish by #11 Joe Gallardo from a cross by #26 Dion Acoff.
Only a minute later, the Jacks responded with #11 Tresor Mbuyu’s ninth goal of the season to level the score. #10 Miguel Ibarra carried the ball from midfield and found #8 Joel Johnson on the right wing. Johnson drove towards the endline and crossed the ball to Mbuyu who tallied a one-touch finish of his own into the back of the net.
“They had us under pressure for a little bit of the first half, but as the game settled, we felt pretty good coming into halftime,” Jeffries commented. “It was a great response to conceding a goal.”
Most of the possession remained in the midfield as each team only recorded one additional shot on target in the first half. Despite this statistic, the Independence were just inches away from taking the lead in the 45th minute.
Mbuyu swerved past a few defenders down the left side before playing a through ball to #7 Avionne Flanagan who dribbled towards the endline, running into an Omaha defender. The deflection found Johnson on the back post, and after a few touches around a defender, his shot grazed off the crossbar.
“We had chances to take the lead in the first half,” Johnson expressed. “Perhaps the game would have changed if we achieved any of the chances we had.”
Halftime: Union Omaha 1, Charlotte Independence 1.
Omaha displayed heavy offensive pressure right from the start of the second half. #9 Dane Kelly continued roaming around the Owls’ backline looking for potential counterattacking moments.
#1 Austin Pack logged a save from point-blank range, resulting in a corner kick in the 66th minute. The set piece taken by #20 Luis Gil found the head of #10 Steevan Dos Santos who powered the Owls into the lead.
“Omaha is a very direct and quick team which means you really have to focus for 90 minutes,” defender #4 Nick Spielman commented. “You can’t fall asleep for a moment or they will punish you. They took their chances and won the game.”
After a great deal of commotion following a corner kick, Union Omaha earned a penalty kick in the 88th minute which was slotted by Dos Santos to secure the win for the hosts. The Owls were not finished yet as Dos Santos completed his second half hattrick with a goal late in stoppage time.
“I thought the second half was pretty level until the set piece,” Jeffries explained. “It’s frustrating to give up a goal on a corner in a game this level. We got caught chasing the game, and credit to them, they’re a great team and took advantage with another set piece play and the counter.”
Full time: Union Omaha 4, Charlotte Independence 1.
NEXT ON THE SCHEDULE: The Charlotte Independence will host South Georgia Tormenta FC for the regular season finale on Saturday, October 14 at 7:00 p.m. Tickets start at $12.
