The Charlotte Independence achieved their fourth consecutive victory on Saturday, May 7 at the Ramblewood Stadium. The Independence went head-to-head with FC Montreal, who is sitting at the bottom of the Eastern Conference standings and will continue to search for their first points of the season.
During the first half, the Independence was very dominant and was constantly searching for goal opportunities. Just three minutes into the match, the Independence found their first goal opportunity when Enzo Martínez earned a penalty kick; the kick proved to be unsuccessful by bouncing off off the crossbar. Independence player Caleb Calvert found a perfect goal opportunity when he scored a header almost ten minutes into the match. The header was assisted with a free kick by Enzo Martínez. This goal is the third for Calvert this season.
“I’m happy to get a win, and on to the next game,” said Calvert when asked about his goal during the match. “That’s my mentality right now.”
FC Montreal also found some opportunities during the match, but the team was unable to see them through. The most notable opportunity occurred during the 43rd minute, when Charles Joly took a shot that was blocked by Independence goalkeeper Cody Mizell.
The Independence almost scored their 2nd goal of the match during the 55th minute, when a cross from Patrick Slogic almost became a 2nd header for Caleb Calvert; the header was instantly blocked by Montreal goalkeeper Maxime Crepeau.
“I felt early on that maybe we could have put a stamp on the game and get an advantage,” said Independence Head Coach Mike Jeffries. “They hung on very tough and made it difficult for us. Tonight we had a tough time getting that second goal. I think that a second goal would have made the game easier.”
The match also saw a great defensive performance by the Independence, especially with players such as Jun Marques Davidson and Yann Ekra.
“We take a lot of pride in our team defending, all 11 guys,” said Coach Jeffries when asked about the Independence’s defensive performance. “Jun and Yann do a lot of work; they close down a lot of plays and win a lot of balls. I thought they were tremendous today.”
The match saw three saves by Independence goal keeper Cody Mizell, and five saves from Montreal goal keeper Maxime Crepeau. The Independence ended the match with a total of 13 shots, while Montreal totaled 11.
Though the victory was narrow, the Independence will savor it until they face the Wilmington Hammerheads FC on Tuesday, May 10. The team hopes to add a fifth consecutive win to their list.
