June 18, 2022 – United Soccer League One (USL1) – Charlotte Independence News Release
CARY, N.C. – The Charlotte Independence fell to North Carolina FC 0-2 on the road tonight at WakeMed Soccer Park in Cary, North Carolina. The Jacks will finish their five-game road trip on Wednesday, July 22 at 7:30 PM against Chattanooga Red Wolves SC.
“We’ll come back tonight, guys will spend the weekend on their own, Monday we train, Tuesday we train and travel and Wednesday we play,” Jeffries said. “So, this is a tough week for us, and this is obviously a tough road stretch for us. We need to end it on a positive note, and it’s important for us to go into Chattanooga with a good mentality and be ready to play.”
Neither team was able to find the back of the net in the first half, but the Jacks created multiple chances recording seven shots. An early save by goalkeeper #35 Dane Jacomen and a hard press on the attack led by #13 Chris Hegardt made things very difficult for NCFC in the first forty-five minutes. The Jacks forced the home side to commit 15 fouls in the first half compared to the Independence’s six.
“I thought we played well in terms of possession. I thought we moved the ball pretty well and put ourselves in good spots, but in the end we didn’t make enough really good chances out of it,” Charlotte Independence Head Coach, Mike Jeffries said. “We didn’t do enough today in the final third to impact the game. I actually thought over the course of the first 60 minutes before the goal, I thought we actually pushed the game and had the better run of play and half-chances.”
The match stayed scoreless heading into the second half: Charlotte Independence 0 – North Carolina FC 0.
Midfielder #19 Quinn McNeill put the Jacks’ first shot on frame in the 55th minute when the Independence earned a corner kick early in the second half. The ball bounced around the box and eventually fell to McNeill who, just outside the box, put the shot on frame but it was saved.
“It was good to get back out and play again. Unfortunately, the result didn’t go our way,” McNeill said. “It’s a quick turnaround, so we’ll move forward and look to get points at Chattanooga on Wednesday.”
The Jacks made their first substitution of the night in the 61st minute. McNeill exited the field to make way for midfielder #7 Miguel Ibarra.
NCFC scored the first goal of the game in the 63rd minute to take the 1-0 lead. #16 Nicolas Molina tapped in the shot from inside the box off an assist from #19 Garrett…