May 21, 2022 – United Soccer League One (USL1) – Charlotte Independence News Release
MADISON, W.I. – The Charlotte Independence claimed a 2-1 win on the road at Forward Madison FC on Saturday night to climb to the top of the USL League One table. Up next for the Jacks is a trip to face the Greenville Triumph on Saturday, June 4 at 7:00 PM.
“It’s great character. I thought they came out, despite heavy legs, and got into the game pretty quickly. It was nice to get the first goal and play from the lead,” Charlotte Independence head coach Mike Jeffries said. “I thought that was a big plus for us for sure. I thought the guys fought throughout the game just to protect the game. It certainly wasn’t easy. It was a tremendous atmosphere here. I think that works both ways, I think that kind of kept us going a bit as well.”
It did not take long for the Independence to open the scoring as #9 Ivan Luquetta notched his second goal of the season in the 7th minute. A soaring cross from the right side by #2 Koa Santos found Luquetta in front of goal to head it home for the lead. Luquetta was persistent on the attack throughout the evening, continually trying to create chances for the Independence.
“We’re motivated, we feel good about getting the three points. The last game, we unfortunately weren’t able to do so,” Luquetta said. “So, we came out with the mentality that we wanted to win. I was happy to get a goal and now we head into this small break and get ready for the next one.”
#1 Keegan Meyer started for the first time since April 8 and recorded a vital diving save in the 29th minute to maintain the Jacks’ lead. He was active in the penalty area throughout the game, sliding to steal the ball from an attacker’s feet in the 37th minute and punching away a corner in first half stoppage time.
The Jacks thought the lead had doubled in the 35th minute when #90 Khori Bennett connected with another cross from Santos, but Bennett was ruled offside.
#5 Shalom Dutey made a huge tackle…