North Carolina FC 1 – 1 Charlotte Independence
Cary, NC—If the first fifteen minutes was what you had to go by, the Southern Derby match between intrastate rivals North Carolina FC and the Charlotte Independence was going to be a shootout.
But soccer is a 90-minute game and, while there were chances throughout the evening, getting the go-ahead goal proved elusive and the two clubs split the points.
North Carolina defender Caleb Duvernay’s run down the flank lead to the game’s first goal.
Fans were still settling into their seats after the national anthem when defender North Carolina rookie defender Caleb Duvernay brought the ball to the end line and fired a cross at Charlotte’s goal. Forward Donovan Ewolo got his head on the cross and deflected it right to the foot of an unmarked Yamikani Chester, who tapped the ball in from point-blank range. NCFC took the 1-0 lead just three minutes into the game.
Charlotte has had a good run of form since general manager Mike Jeffries assumed coaching duties following the departure of Jim McGuinness. They found the equalizer in the 14th minute on a controversial play. Midfielder Enzo Martinez made a nifty one-touch pass to Niki Jackson who pulled the ball slightly to the left and slammed a left-footed shot past Alex Tambakis. It appeared that Jackson might have been offside when Martinez passed the ball, but the assistant referee never raised his flag and the goal stood.
“I felt like obviously, we started really poorly. I couldn’t give you a good reason for it,” Jeffries said after the game. “I won’t say we gifted a goal, but it was a pretty soft goal. I thought our guys did a really good job of maintaining composure and staying in the game.”
North Carolina’s heavy pressure in the second half forced Charlotte goalkeeper Brandon Miller to come up big.
In the 41st minute, Jackson found himself one-on-one with Tambakis but the North Carolina goalkeeper came out to challenge and swiped the ball off of Jackson’s feet and demonstrating why he is the Fans’ Choice USL Championship Midseason Goalkeeper of the Year.
North Carolina came out of the halftime break with a re-energized attack and forced Charlotte goalkeeper Brandon Miller to come up big in the second half.
NCFC head coach Dave Sarachan noted some adjustments that needed to be made on the field in the second half. “We talked a little bit of tactics in terms of what we felt we needed to do a little bit more and I also said that we need to step our pressure higher,” he said.
It looked like NCFC was about to duplicate the start of the first half when, in the 48th minute, Chester dropped the ball off for Dre Fortune at the top of the penalty box. Fortune’s hard shot was ticketed for the bottom left corner of the net, but Miller made the dive to push the ball away.
NCFC midfielder Yamikani Chester knotted the game’s first goal.
The Dead Whales kept the pressure on Charlotte in the second half, earning seven corner kicks and holding the Independence to two. NCFC defender DJ Taylor and Chester set up shop on the right flank with several penetrating runs into the final third. In the 72nd minute it looked like Taylor would serve the game-winning assist to Steven Miller. He carried the ball down the right side and sent the cross perfectly onto the foot of Miller’s right foot. His one-timer was headed to the top right corner but Brandon Miller got a full extension to tip the ball over the crossbar. Miller would come up big again for Charlotte in the final moments of stoppage time when he swatted aside a long shot by Graham Smith.
The game ended in a 1-1 deadlock. It was a game that Sarachan thought his club should have taken all three points from.
“We pushed and we tried to get the second goal didn’t come,” he reflected after the game. ”Charlotte did a pretty good collective job defensively; made it tough on us centrally and come away with a point.”
Final Notes
- Prior to kickoff North Carolina FC held a moment of silence to honor Charlie Slagle, whose passing on Monday left the Carolina soccer community shocked and deeply saddened. Slagle coached the Davidson College men’s team from 1980-2000 before becoming the CEO of the Capital Area Soccer League, a youth league that later merged with North Carolina FC. Slagle’s energy and personality was a major driver in bringing the NCAA and ACC championships to North Carolina. North Carolina’s success as a youth-to-pro powerhouse and a favorite place to hold major tournaments such as the Women’s College Cup owes everything to Slagle’s passion for soccer and connecting with people. Slagle was 67.
- Defender Manny Perez has returned to North Carolina on loan from Celtic FC but is reportedly still banged up and was not in the lineup for NCFC.
- Charlotte midfielder Valentin Sabella, who joined the club from the Florida Soccer Soldiers, saw some playing time in the game. Sabella and the Soccer Soldiers bounced Charlotte from the US Open Cup before getting knocked out by North Carolina.
- The draw moved NCFC into third place in the USL Championship Eastern Conference.
- Next up for the Dead Whales is a brief break in the schedule to rest and recover before they play at Birmingham on July 13.
Lineups
North Carolina FC: A. Tambakis; C. Duvernay, A. Guillen, S. Brotherton, DJ Taylor; G. Smith, D. Fortune, S. Miller ©, B. Speas, Y. Chester (A. da Luz, 86’); D. Ewolo (R. Kristo, 78’)
Charlotte Independence: B. Miller; H. Robers, S. Thicot, J. Johnson, A. Mansally (A. Maund, 78’); K. George, E. Martinez ©, A. Martinez, A. Taku; D. Oduro (V. Sabella, 65’), N. Jackson (J. Herrera, 65’)
Score:
North Carolina FC: 1
Charlotte Independence: 1
Goals:
NCFC: Y. Chester (3’ D. Ewolo)
Charlotte Independence: N. Jackson (14’, E. Martinez)
Discipline
North Carolina FC: S. Miller, YC, 75’
Charlotte Independence: K. George, YC, 76’
Attendance: 4,456
Photo Gallery: North Carolina FC v Charlotte Independence
All photos by Victoria Klum
