August 18, 2022 – United Soccer League One (USL1) – Union Omaha News Release
PAPILLION, Neb. – With another home win Wednesday night, Union Omaha is back in the mix right where it wants to be.
The Owls came into the midweek match-up looking for a statement win against 4th place side Charlotte Independence, aiming to level the clubs’ series in its season finale. The first meeting saw the Independence steal a win in the final minutes of the match, after the Owls had been up a goal for most of the second half. The second affair was much tamer, a 0-0 draw at Werner Park last month. Coming off a slightly disappointing draw at home Saturday against Northern Colorado, the Owls would present a solid case for a playoff spot if they could get back to the win column.
The league’s best defense faced some early pressure from the league’s third best offense in the 7th minute, as Rashid Nuhu was able to grab a beautiful save off of three Independence shots in rapid succession.
The first booking of the match came in the 29th minute to Charlotte’s Miguel Ibarra. The card gave the Owls a promising free kick look, taken by Daltyn Knutson. The shot found space in between the four-person Charlotte wall but was slid on and scooped up by Adrian Zendejas in goal.
It was a series of yellow cards issued to the teams, starting with Chavany Willis in the 33rd minute. Charlotte’s Omar Ciss claimed a yellow card in the 42nd minute after bringing down Dion Acoff. Alex Bruce was booked soon after for Omaha’s second yellow at the end of the half, and the next whistle sent the teams in the locker room deadlocked at 0.
It was a tough break for the Owls in the 49th minute, with Gabriel Claudio being booked with a yellow for some extra contact in the box. The foul set up the Independence with a prime chance to take the lead, and Khori Bennett converted on the penalty to put the visitors up 1-0.
The Owls wouldn’t stay down long, though. It was just before the hour mark that the Omaha offense was finally ignited. Emir Alihodžić sent a cross in the box, finding the foot of Alex Bruce who took another solid shot and was batted away before Noe Meza found the loose ball and slammed it into the back of the net. It was a team-leading 6th goal for the first-year pro, who has now scored in back-to-back contests.
“I’d been feeling in pretty good form recently, so when I saw the ball bouncing in the box, as soon as it got close to me, I knew where the goal was at already, so I was just looking to…