MT. VERNON, NY (March 14, 2026) – Viggo Ortiz scored his first Charlotte Independence goal in the 97th minute as the Jacks earned a point in their first match of the 2026 campaign, drawing Westchester SC 1-1.
The match was defined by the opening and closing moments. Westchester’s Dean Guezen stunned Charlotte with a goal in the first 45 seconds, while Ortiz delivered the equalizer with the final play of the game.
It was not the start the Independence were hoping for. Inside the opening minute, Westchester struck first. Guezen collected the ball at the edge of the area, shifted onto his left foot, and slotted a shot past Matt Levy into the bottom corner to give the hosts an early lead.
Charlotte looked out of rhythm early, appearing to shake off some rust. Westchester target man Daniel Burko was played in behind the Independence back line in the 13th minute and sent a volley just wide of Levy’s net.
The Jacks’ first look at goal did not come until the 31st minute. Off a set piece, Souaibou Marou found space in the box and flicked an effort on goal, forcing Westchester goalkeeper Andrew Hammersley into a diving save.
Charlotte began to grow into the match as the half progressed, taking control of possession and spending extended stretches in Westchester territory. The Jacks’ best chance of the first half came in the 39th minute when outside backs Joey Skinner and Clay Dimick combined to set up Jon Bakero, who blasted a shot off the crossbar from the penalty spot.
The Independence came out energized to begin the second half. After Enzo Martinez entered the match in the 53rd minute for an injured Bakero, Charlotte nearly found the equalizer. Luis Alvarez floated a beautiful ball to the back post, but a charging Javen Romero couldn’t make clean contact to steer it into the open net.
Levy kept Charlotte within reach in the 73rd minute. Noah Powder whipped in a cross to Koen Blommestijn, but the fourth-year goalkeeper made a strong save from eight yards out.
Searching for the equalizer late, Alvarez again tried to unlock the defense. A superb trivela cross to the back post found Marou in the 87th minute, but the forward rattled the side netting.
Still pushing forward, the Independence earned one final opportunity. Dimick clipped a ball into the box and Westchester headed it clear, but only as far as Ortiz. The 17-year-old controlled it at the top of the area and buried a shot into the bottom corner, sending the Charlotte sideline into celebration.
The strike proved to be the final play of the match as the Jacks escaped New York with a point in their return to USL League One action. The Independence now focus on Ristozi FC on the first round of the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup on Thursday at Matthews Sportsplex.
QUOTES TO FOLLOW…
Head Coach Mike Jeffries on the performance:
“We just mentally fell asleep early in the game and they took advantage. We spent the better part of the next 20 minutes trying to find the rhythm of the game. We came into the game better at the end of the first half with some really good looks and a crossbar. I thought we started the second half really well and continued to push. I give the guys a lot of credit for fighting through it. It’s hard to chase the game for 87 minutes and still keep the same intensity level and energy that we did.”
Jeffries on Ortiz stepping up to the moment:
“It was tremendous composure. We’ve seen him do that in training and so forth, but to do that at that moment in the game is class. He took two touches to set himself up well and just showed a lot of composure to pick the corner and pick it through a lot of bodies in front of him.”
Joey Skinner on the team’s response to a slow start:
“The first 20 minutes were tough, but after that I thought the response from the team was good. I thought we can be better in transition moments, but I believe we created some good chances to potentially win the game. Shout out to the youngster Viggo to get us a late goal to secure us a point.”
Viggo Ortiz on his first goal with the Independence:
“It’s just a special moment scoring a last minute goal, on my debut too. I’m obviously very happy and grateful to be able to do that. In the moment, I just knew I was going to take the shot, especially when everyone was telling me to hit it. And when I saw it went in, I just went crazy. Definitely a blessing and I give all the glory to Jesus Christ.”
