Charlotte Independence: Pack Prevents a Penalty During Pups at the Pitch
Charlotte Independence: Pack Prevents a Penalty During Pups at the Pitch
Clutch play from Charlotte’s MVP goalkeeper gives the Jacks an edge over Greenville as furry friends watch a 1-0 Independence win on Friday, April 12.
It was a Friday night full of football and fur at American Legion Memorial Stadium on April 12.
The Charlotte Independence (2-1-0, 6 points) partnered with Social Pet Hotel to host dozens of dogs for “Pups at the Pitch” night as they faced the top-of-the-table Greenville Triumph SC (3-1-1, 10 points).
Though the Jacks were the underdogs, a terrific Austin Pack save and a Obregón goal gave Charlotte a 1-0 victory, moving the Independence to 5th place in USL 1 despite having only played three matches due to cancellations.
“We’ve had a weird start to the season having limited league games, so we’re still trying to find a rhythm, and I think we continue to do that",” said Charlotte Independence head coach Mike Jefferies after the match. “Hopefully tonight is a good building block for establishing how we want to play.”
Additionally, the match would be the first time since Dean Smith took over as coach of Charlotte FC that his son Jamie Smith would play in Charlotte, wearing #4 as a defender. Coach Smith and others from Charlotte FC were in attendance.
Pack on his way to another stellar season
Early in the first half, a Charlotte Independence handball inside the box caused trouble for the Jacks. Lyam MacKinnon would take the 12th minute penalty for Greenville, but his strike met the gloves of Pack, who stretched to make his third penalty save in competitive play this year (the first two were doing an Open Cup shootout against SC United Heat).
“Austin kept us in the game the first half,” said Jeffries. “He made a great save on the penalty, and that helped us a little. They got a couple other good looks that he made big plays on that gave us a chance to stay in the game and get a result in the end.”
Pack made five saves in the first half as Greenville took a total of 22 shots during the match, with six on target. The Independence couldn’t match the barrage from the top USL 1 side, with only eight shots during the entire match, only four on target, and possession only 36% of the time
“We weathered the storm a bit in the first half with some windy conditions,” said Pack after the match.
Much of that storm came from Greenville forward Ben Zakowski, whose strikes required Pack to use much of his body - even his face - to keep the ball out of the net.
After a lopsided first half, Charlotte was lucky to have preserved the 0-0 score line.
“Credit to the guys,” said Jeffries. “They hung in after a tough first half and a tough night in some ways, but they really hung in and found a way to get a result.”
The only stat that matters
How would Charlotte respond in the second half? Independence veteran Joel Johnson had the answer in the 51st minute, sending a cross into the area above Greenville’s defense, connecting with the head of J.C. Obregón, Jr. who converted the opportunity for his first goal with Charlotte.
“Today was J.C.’s best day. He’s still coming into fitness after joining us late, but his movement today was great,” said Jeffries. “He was sharp, he did a great job holding the ball up. The goal was fantastic. It was a great run and a super delivery from Joel with a good finish.”
The second half showed more parity between the two sides. Though all of the stat lines leaned in Greenville’s favor by the end of the match, Charlotte had the goal, converting their one major chance of the match as Pack and Charlotte’s defense denied no fewer than four big chances for Greenville.
“We were able to start the second half pretty well with a goal,” said Pack. “The team did really well to sit and absorb some pressure for the rest of the game.”
Despite continued pressure from Greenville, Charlotte maintained their lead and delt Greenville their first loss of the season. Charlotte improves to 3-4-0 all time in the derby between the two clubs, which have never ended a match tied.
“It feels really good to finally get my first goal of the season and with the Independence,” said Obregón after the match. “It feels even better with the win.”
Charlotte’s next match is tomorrow night at American Legion Memorial Stadium at 7:00 PM against USL Championship side Rhode Island FC in the Third Round of the U.S. Open Cup. Greenville also faces a USL Championship squad - Louisville City FC - in their Tuesday Open Cup match.
Bonus Content: Our Favorite Pups at the Pitch
You can check out all of our photos from “Pups at the Pitch” night on the Soccer Sheet Instagram.
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