Goals: Own Goal (24’ & 74’) and Obregón Jr. (59’)

STATESBORO, Ga. (September 21, 2024) – The Charlotte Independence split points with South Georgia Tormenta FC after a 3-3 draw at Tormenta Stadium on Saturday evening. The Jacks host Forward Madison FC on Friday, October 4 at 7:30 p.m. at American Legion Memorial Stadium. Tickets are available at charlotteindependence.com/tickets.
HOW IT HAPPENED:
The possession was mostly even in the first 10 minutes, but Charlotte had the most dangerous chances until Tormenta unexpectedly took the lead in the 13th minute. #10 Pedro Fonseca snuck a shot in the back of the net from a tight angle after a quick break.
#6 Omar Ciss tested the goalkeeper in the 20th minute with his first shot of the night as a low strike from distance was deflected out of bounds for a corner kick.
The Jacks tied the score in the 24th minute with an own goal by #28 Aaron Walker. A dribble from #11 Tresor Mbuyu set up a cross aimed towards #14 Luis Álvarez who pressured the defender enough to force the ball past the Tormenta goalkeeper.
Mbuyu had a similar chance again in first-half stoppage time, but his cross was cleared before reaching an Independence player.
Halftime: South Georgia Tormenta FC 1, Charlotte Independence 1.
Charlotte’s leading scorer, #29 J.C. Obregón Jr., fired the Jacks into the lead in the 59th minute with a stunning strike. #27 Bachir Ndiaye blocked an attempted long ball by Tormenta in the middle of the pitch. It deflected towards Obregón Jr. who dribbled for a few yards before unleashing a swerving shot from distance.
The lead was extended to 1-3 after a corner kick swung in by #21 Dustin Corea was headed in the back of the net by #11 Jackson Khoury for an own goal in the 74th minute.
Down two goals, South Georgia fought hard on the attack looking for a way to get back in the game. #1 Austin Pack saved a long-range shot, but the rebound landed right at the feet of #9 Sebastián Vivas who netted the ball for a Tormenta goal.
In the final few minutes of stoppage time, Tormenta tied the game with a goal by #21 Philip Spengler from the top of the penalty area.
Fulltime: South Georgia Tormenta FC 3, Charlotte Independence 3.
IN THE NUMBERS:
- #29 J.C. Obregón Jr. scored his 12th goal of the USL League One season, which is tied for the lead in the golden boot race.
- #27 Bachir Ndiaye was credited with his first assist of the season.
- Ndiaye won 11 of 13 duels in the match, including three of three aerial duels.
- #19 Nathan Gray became the youngest player to appear for the Independence in club history at 16 years, 9 months, 28 days.
QUOTES:
Head Coach Mike Jeffries
On dropping points
“I’m really disappointed that we gave away two points and were in a really good position to finish the game out and we should have. I thought we played pretty solidly for most of it, but we didn’t manage the end of the game as well as we needed to.”
On the offensive production
“The game had a pretty open flow. We had a few chances early that we didn’t finish or were saved. We pushed the game the rest of the first half and did well to get it to 1-1. We felt pretty good coming into halftime, managed to find a couple goals in the second half, and put ourselves in a position to win the game, but we needed to close it out.”
#27 Bachir Ndiaye
On controlling the midfield
“We had to squeeze the space defensively when they had possession as well as pick the right moments to press, which I believe we did really well at times. Offensively, with the quality we have on the team, we trusted each other and made sure we controlled the tempo of the game and had good rotation in the middle.”
#19 Nathan Gray
On making his professional debut
“Making my debut tonight was incredibly special. It’s a moment I’ve been dreaming about for a long time, and to finally experience it is surreal. I’m grateful for the support and can’t wait to keep building from here.”
NEXT ON THE SCHEDULE:
The Charlotte Independence return home against Forward Madison FC on Friday, October 4 at 7:30 p.m. Tickets are available at charlotteindependence.com/tickets.