Charlotte Independence Drop Match at Greenville 2-0

GREENVILLE, SC – The Charlotte Independence fell on the road to the Greenville Triumph 2-0 in a tight match on Saturday, June 4.

“We weren’t sharp enough in our play, our movement,” head coach Mike Jeffries said. “We were just a step behind, defensively in terms of being able to close guys down. We really were under pressure for most of the game and we managed the first half without giving away a goal and unfortunately they opened us up a little in the second half and got the goal.”

The first half was an even matchup with a great deal of offensive pressure on both ends of the pitch. Goalkeeper #35 Noah Abrams notched two important saves in the opening and closing minutes of the half to keep the Jacks level.

#2 Koa Santos served multiple dangerous crosses into the penalty area looking to open the scoring for the Jacks.

“We need to go back to the drawing board and see where we can create more going forward,” Santos said. “We’re not looking too much into tonight, it just wasn’t our night.”

The teams entered halftime in a deadlock: Charlotte Independence 0 – Greenville Triumph 0.

The Jacks continued to press in the second half, but the Triumph found the breakthrough goal in the 53rd minute through #19 Venton Evans. Greenville doubled its lead in the 78th minute with a penalty kick by #10 Don Smart.

“It was a tough match on the road,” #15 Carson Talboys said. “We tried different tactics and formations throughout, but it wasn’t enough. We’ll go back to training this week with the mentality of being stronger and harder to beat. We’ll go into the week with the mentality of getting all three points at Richmond. That’s the main focus now.”

New signing #18 Illia Shevtsov made his Independence debut as a substitute in the 63rd minute. He added height in the penalty area as a new target for crosses.

“I think he’s a very talented player,” Jeffries said of Shevtsov. “I think it was nice to get him on the field for sure and get him some minutes.”

NEXT ON THE SCHEDULE: The Charlotte Independence will travel to face Richmond Kickers next Saturday, June 11 at 6:30 PM. Fans can live stream the match for free on bahakelsports.com or watch over-the-air on antenna TV’s WCCB Channel 18.5.