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CHARLOTTE, NC (July 19, 2025) – Charlotte Independence and Portland Hearts of Pine clashed in their first-ever meeting to a 1-1 draw Saturday night at American Legion Memorial Stadium.

Charlotte got the party started with a #2 Fabrice Ngah goal, but Portland struck in the 69th minute through #3 Nathan Messer to tie it. Despite a 20-8 shot advantage, the Jacks could not take advantage at home, only taking home one point.

The Jacks got the scoring started in the 10th minute. After #8 Juan David Moreno pressed forward a Charlotte counter attack, #9 Jon Bakero picked up the pieces on an original cross. His cross found the left foot of Ngah, who blasted a volley from 18 yards out into the bottom corner.

The left back has now contributed four goals from his defensive position this season.

The Independence had the stronger of play throughout much of the 45 minutes. In the 20th minute, #15 Rafael Jauregui played a lovely ball to the back post. Striker #26 Souaibou Marou rose high for the header, but hit the crossbar.

The visiting team from Oregon looked dangerous with pace in transition, but their final passes were not connecting. However, Charlotte made the most of their possessions, often creating some sort of scoring opportunity. The Jacks held a 12-2 shot advantage in the first half.

Charlotte nearly made the score 2-0 in the 43rd minute. It was a Cameroonian connection, as Ngah centered to Marou, but once again, he found the crossbar with a thunderous left-footed strike from the penalty spot.

A strong first half from the Independence likely could have equaled more goals, but they took a one-goal lead to the halftime stoppage.

Charlotte kept the offensive onslaught going in the second half. In the 60th minute, Morse made a strong save on a curling effort from Jauregui, getting down to his left.

Substitute #80 Christopher Jaime did his best to double the score in the 66th minute. The 21-year-old pushed the counter, drove at his defender, and his shot missed the post by inches.

A Charlotte turnover in the 69th minute put Portland on the attack and visitors equalized. #10 Ollie Wright played Messer, who fired in a bullet from the edge of the box to tie it.

The goal gave Portland loads of confidence and they continued to put the pressure on for a go-ahead goal. Jacks goalkeeper #28 Matt Levy made the save of the match in the 80th minute, diving full stretch to his right to deny #77 Masashi Wada.

Charlotte pushed back late, but could not find a winner and the game finished 1-1.

QUOTES:

Head Coach Mike Jeffries on the performance:

“I thought we had a really solid first half, unfortunately hit the cross bar couple times, but , I thought we had a good opportunities to get the second. and really push the game in the second half. We didn’t put our foot on the gas to get the killer goal.”

Jeffries on the frustration of not getting all three points:

“I think we have a pretty strong mentality as a group, so we’ll maintain confidence and so forth. We managed to kind of pull ourselves back into the game where we had the first goal and had a chance to really bury the game and weren’t able to do that.”

Javen Romero on the performance:

“I feel like as an overall group, first half we dominated, we hit cross bar twice. 
Obviously, we just always got to keep fighting till the end. We can’t let one little chance that they get can punish us just like they’ve done.”

Christian Chaney on the team’s mentality:

“We’re in a midseason kind of funk right now and we had three games, two points isn’t good enough. So this next week that we have leading up to the next game, we’re going to put our heads down and work harder.”

CHARLOTTE, NC (July 16, 2025) – Charlotte Independence and Forward Madison FC tied 1-1 for the second time this season Wednesday night in Wisconsin.

The Jacks battled back from down a goal in the second half thanks to #11 Bachir Ndiaye. The clash was a rematch of last season’s League One playoff matchup, where Forward Madison ended the Independence’s season at Breese Stevens Field. #99 Christian Chaney also made his first appearance back in Wisconsin as a visitor, having played last year for the Flamingos.

The Jacks had the first great chance of the match in the 10th minute. #6 Omar Ciss started the play, dribbling away from his defender and lifting a ball into space for #9 Jon Bakero. Bakero played it across to #26 Souaibou Marou. The Cameroonian fired for the bottom corner, but struck the post.

Forward Madison started to settle into the half around the 20th minute. The hosts forced four saves out of league leader #28 Matt Levy in the first stanza. Two of those came in the 21st and 28th minute against Madison’s hero the first time these two squared off this season, #24 Nazeem Bartman. Both of his strikes from the edge of the area were seen all the way by the Jacks goalkeeper.

The Jacks hit the woodwork for the second time of the half in the 36th minute. Bakero’s corner was met first by Marou and on the second ball, Chaney’s header hit the crossbar.

Forward Madison struck first just a minute before halftime. #77 Lucca Dourado slipped through #11 Christopher Garcia. The winger dribbled around Levy and netted his first of the season to give Madison a pivotal one-goal lead just before the break.

The Jacks started the second half on time and it was Chaney who had a brilliant chance two minutes in. #15 Rafael Jauregui’s cross took a perfect deflection and from inside the six-yard box, Chaney’s uncontested diving header soared over the bar.

Chaney had another strong opportunity in the 58th minute. The forward danced around two defenders, but a kick save from goalkeeper #1 Bernd Schipmann kept him out.

The pressure from Charlotte finally paid off in the 64th minute. Forward Madison misplayed a bouncing ball just outside of the box. Ciss pounced on it, fed Ndiaye, and the midfielder buried his shot into the bottom corner for his second goal of the season to knot things up at one.

Charlotte remained the better of the two sides in the second 45 minutes, living in Madison territory. Ndiaye was often the catalyst, winning numerous balls in the midfield and sparking attacks. Bakero found loads of space in his attacking midfield position as well, churning out forward runs before spraying them to the wingers and running fullbacks.

However, despite Charlotte’s strong play, neither team could find a late winner and the two sides shared the spoils, drawing 1-1.

QUOTES:

Head Coach Mike Jeffries on the team’s performance:

“Thought the guys showed a lot of character in the second half. To concede right at the end of the first half and on a really tight play, it would have been easy to put our heads down and and show our frustration. But I thought we came out in the second half with a real desire to get back in the game and we equalized and we pushed it. I thought at the end of the game that we were the team that was pushing the game and trying to get the three points and had them on their heels and we just couldn’t quite get it done.”

Jeffries on bouncing back after a tough goal to end the first half:

“We walked in feeling a little bit cursed. You could see the guys’ heads down. But like I said, I think it’s a group that has a a real strong belief in themselves. They managed to pick their heads up and push themselves through it. It was a frustrating for us staff because we actually felt like we did a good job with the shape for the most part. We limited them, except for a couple free kicks and then we hit the crossbar and hit the post. It was easy to be frustrated, but we managed it.”

Bachir Ndiaye on his goal:

“It’s always a great feeling to score a goal, especially with the situation that we were in. I also think that it was a reflection of the performance that we put in today, wish that we walked away with the three points”

Jon Bakero on the team’s character in the second half:

“I think we had a pretty solid first half, very unfortunate to give up the goal at the end of the first half because I thought we played well. We came out with that mentality that we were the better team and felt very unfortunate to not take the three points. But I think, it’s a good result on the road, not what we want, but it’s better to get a tie than a loss where it’s not a an easy place to play. It’s a long week, so hopefully we can finish the week with three points at home.”

CHARLOTTE, NC (July 12, 2025) – The Charlotte Independence could not complete another second half comeback Saturday night, falling at home to Union Omaha 2-1.

#26 Souaibou Marou scored late for the Jacks, but it wasn’t enough as Union Omaha got their first victory under new head coach Vincenzo Candela.

The game slated to start at 7:00 was pushed back due to heavy thunderstorms that came amidst warmups, delaying the match for just over two hours.

The Jacks had the strong chances in the first eight minutes. Just three minutes after #99 Christian Chaney fired wide, #9 Jon Bakero had the best chance of the first half for the Independence. #15 Rafael Jauregui centered beautifully, but the Spainard’s try from two yards out stunningly went wide.

Union Omaha won the possession battle in the first half and once they settled in, played the majority of the half in Jacks’ territory. The visitors registered four shots on target to zero for Charlotte.

#28 Ryan Becher had Omaha’s first attempt of the half in the 17th minute, but his header from five yards out missed the target.

After some half-chances from outside the box, Omaha’s #10 Prosper Kassim fired from the top of the box in the 31st minute. It went through #3 Pele Ousmanou’s legs, but right into the hands of goalkeeper #28 Matt Levy.

Omaha broke the deadlock a minute later. Becher got on the end of a brilliant ball from #20 Charlie Ostrem to make 1-0 from six yards out.

Becher remained Omaha’s most dangerous player in the first 45 minutes, firing off the crossbar from 20 yards in the 39th minute.

The road team took a one-goal lead to the halftime break.

The Jacks came out with a pep in their step and had the first great chance of the second half. #17 Clay Dimick centered nicely into #6 Omar Ciss’ path, but the midfielder couldn’t place it past Omaha keeper #24 Rashid Nuhu.

Omaha doubled their lead in the 65th minute. A whipped in ball from #5 Marco Milanese found the head of substitute #8 Sergio Ors at the back post.

The Jacks tried to get back into the game in the 69th minute. A nice transition moment resulted in #8 Juan David Moreno firing from outside the box, but Nuhu got down to his right to make the save.

Charlotte found their success through Moreno, but his crosses could not be converted. Omaha played a strong defensive block, not giving the Independence many moments in transition and limiting chances to outside the box.

The Jacks pulled one back in the 92nd minute, igniting a slimmer of hope into the crowd at Matthews Sportsplex. #16 Tresor Mbuyu played a gorgeous ball to the back post and Marou buried it to make it 2-1.

The Independence had one final push in the final seconds, but the ball to the back post could not be settled and the referee blew the final whistle, giving the visitors a 2-1 victory.

QUOTES:

Head Coach Mike Jeffries on the perfomance:

“Disappointed. We lost our way most of the first half, allowed them to dictate the game, and disappointed in both the goals that we conceded. The first one put us in a hole and both from needless giveaways and not reacting well enough in transition. The character of the team is good, and we showed fight the whole way and really had our best moments towards the end of the game, chasing the game, and pushed pretty hard. The goal came too late and we just didn’t really have enough time to make a push for a second one.”

Jeffries on preparing for a team with a new head coach:

“Yeah, they’re a good team and they’ve actually been playing fairly well and just not getting results. Getting a new head coach, we knew they’d have a push from that and I think we felt like at the beginning of the game, we could get at them maybe a little bit and we were able to, but they definitely played with energy and passion and to be fair, they closed hard, they pushed the game, and in some phases outworked us.”

Tumi Moshobane on his first game with the Jacks:

“It felt good coming back on the pitch again. I mean, like you saw in the first half, first 15 minutes we had them. 
It was pretty tough after they got momentum. But towards the end of the game too, we started showing our quality and the game could have gone either way.”

Nick Spielman on the result:

“We just came out flat both halves. We didn’t show enough effort, as simple as that, and they came here and showed effort, put in the work, and they got two good goals.”

CHARLOTTE, NC (July 10, 2025) – Charlotte Independence announced today the signing of 23-year-old Honduran midfielder Nata Martinez to a 25-day contract, pending league and federation approval. 

Martinez recently impressed during a trial period with the club, earning praise for his energy and ability to contribute in multiple roles.

“Nata has impressed us on trial with his energy, work rate, and capacity to play a couple of positions on our roster. He will provide depth and competition in wide areas, especially as we enter a busy stretch of our season,” shared Charlotte Independence Head Coach Mike Jeffries.

Martinez last played for North Carolina FC on an academy contract in the 2021 USL League One season. He spent three years developing in the NCFC Academy prior to his first-team involvement.

Earlier this summer, Martinez competed in The Soccer Tournament 2025 with Newtown Pride FC, helping the side reach the quarterfinals of the high-stakes, winner-take-all competition.

He now sets his sights on making his professional debut with the Jacks.

The 2025 season continues on Saturday, June 12 for the Jacks as they host Union Omaha. Head over to CharlotteIndependence.com/Single-Game to secure your seats to see the Jacks!  

About Charlotte Independence: The Charlotte Independence is a Division III professional men’s soccer team based in Charlotte, North Carolina. The club, founded in 2014, currently competes in USL League One and plays home games at American Legion Memorial Stadium. As part of the Queen City Soccer Club, our mission is to make Charlotte a better place to live through sports. For information on club news, season tickets and more, visit CharlotteIndependence.com.

CHARLOTTE, NC (July 9, 2025) – Charlotte Independence announced today the signing of South African forward Tumi Moshobane. Moshobane joins the club after appearing in 16 games across all competitions this season with USL Championship side El Paso Locomotive. 

A dynamic and creative playmaker, Moshobane has been a consistent offensive threat throughout his career in the USL Championship and League One. Known for his pace, vision, and ability to find the back of the net, the South African international bolsters an already talented Independence front line.

“Adding Tumi provides us another dynamic attacking option,” shared Charlotte Independence Head Coach Mike Jeffries. “Tumi is a player who can create off the dribble, find a dangerous pass in the final third and finish opportunities. His ability to play any role in the front four and his success in both Championship and League One make him a valuable addition to our squad. In addition, Tumi has familiarity with Charlotte and with his character and work ethic, Tumi will fit in well with the group.”

Moshobane made 50 total appearances in his El Paso career, totaling one goal and three assists across two seasons. Prior to joining El Paso, Moshobane hit his stride with former USL Championship side San Diego Loyal from 2020-2023, scoring 26 goals in 119 appearances. 

“I’m proud to join Charlotte Independence and I’m grateful for the opportunity to represent this club. I’m here to give my all and help bring a championship to this city,” shared Moshobane.

Moshobane began his professional career with Lansing Ignite in 2019, earning All-League honors after scoring 10 goals in 26 games — quickly establishing himself as one of USL League One’s breakout stars. He also spent time in Charlotte earlier in his career, playing for USL League Two’s Charlotte Eagles in 2018. 

The 30-year-old attacker was born in Soweto, South Africa and played his college soccer for Kankakee Community College and Olivet Nazarene University.

The 2025 season continues on Saturday, June 12 for the Jacks as they host Union Omaha. Head over to CharlotteIndependence.com/Single-Game to secure your seats to see the Jacks!  

About Charlotte Independence: The Charlotte Independence is a Division III professional men’s soccer team based in Charlotte, North Carolina. The club, founded in 2014, currently competes in USL League One and plays all home games at American Legion Memorial Stadium. As part of the Queen City Soccer Club, our mission is to make Charlotte a better place to live through sports. For information on club news, season tickets and more, visit CharlotteIndependence.com.

SHERMAN, TX (June 21, 2025) – A 97th goal stood as the difference as Charlotte Independence’s late comeback was not enough against Texoma FC.

#2 Fabrice Ngah and Christian Chaney scored the goals as part of Charlotte’s second half comeback.

The last time Texoma and Charlotte faced off on May 3, Charlotte staged a stunning second half comeback, pulling off a 4-3 victory. This game rivaled that one very closely.

The Independence had the first attempt of the game. #17 Clay Dimick lifted a lovely ball to the back post for #9 Jon Bakero, but the Spaniard could not keep his try under the crossbar.

It was a strong first half from the Jacks. The Independence marginally won the possession battle and had the ball for a good portion of the half in Texoma territory.

#15 Rafael Jauregui challenged Texoma goalkeeper #13 Javier Garcia’s position in the 41st minute, nearly clipping a cross over the aggressive goalkeeper.

Texoma did not have much in the Charlotte half, but two minutes prior to halftime, a half-chance was there for #8 Luke McCormick. However, just before the attacker could bury a back-post cross, Ngah swept it away.

One more attack in the 45th minute from the hosts and they found the breakthrough before halftime. #10 Ajmeer Spengler, who scored the last time these teams met, broke past Ngah and fired into the roof of the net to give Texoma the lead going into the break.

Bakero had the first try of the second half in the 49th minute. Chaney slipped him in, but Bakero’s strike soared high.

#20 Solomon Asante had a good chance from the top of the box two minutes later, but similar to Bakero, put it over the bar.

#28 Matt Levy made a strong save in the 61st minute as Texoma hit on the counterattack.

Texoma extended their lead in the 67th minute. After Texoma countered quickly, McCormick got on the end of a deflected pass behind Charlotte’s defense and buried it.

Charlotte got one back in the 77th minute. Ngah, who made Week 15 Team of the Week, buried the loose ball in the box to score his third goal in four games.

Charlotte poured on the pressure late. #11 Bachir Ndiaye rattled the goal post in the 87th minute, inches from tying the game with a left-footed strike.

Similar to last time these two met, a decisive penalty kick was called super late in the match. Just after hitting the post, Ndiaye was taken down within the box, giving Chaney a golden chance to tie it from the spot.

Chaney delivered the goods, marking another trademark Independence comeback and tying the game at two in the 92nd minute.

In stunning fashion in the 97th minute, Texoma won it. The hosts countered, centered to the top of the box to Asante, and he managed to find the bottom corner past Levy’s outstretched gloves.

The match ended that way, with Texoma claiming victory 3-2 in another thrilling match between the two sides.

QUOTES:

Head Coach Mike Jeffries on the team’s performance:

“Disappointed how we finished the game. I thought the guy showed a lot of passion in the game to come back. 
It felt like if we could get the first, we’d have a chance to get to get the second one and were able to do it. We should have closed the game out at 2-2. I thought we lost our shape and lost a bit of sense of discipline at the end of the game. Disappointed that we gave up three goals off of essentially counter attacks. We were open. I also didn’t think we played with enough energy and movement the first half and weren’t able to create enough good chances against them. 
So obviously, is a frustrated result.”

Clay Dimick on tonight’s game:

“It’s obviously really frustrating for us because we believe inside our locker room that we are miles better than the performance we put out tonight. Now it’s about sticking together and getting back to our best this week.”

Bachir Ndiaye on the result:

“I think in the first half they frustrated us a bit with their shape in the and we struggled to find a solution. Despite them getting the second goal, it was nice to see us show resilience which we’ve been doing all season so far, just unfortunate with the end result.”

Jacks remain in second in the league table

CHARLOTTE, NC (June 15, 2025) – #2 Fabrice Ngah’s first half goal was enough for the Charlotte Independence to claim their second win in eight days, shutting out Greenville Triumph SC 1-0 on Father’s Day night at American Legion Memorial Stadium.

Greenville did well to put Charlotte under pressure the first 20 minutes. The visitors played an extremely high line, making it difficult for the hosts to complete passes in their own end.

In the 23rd minute, Greenville had their first strong chance of the half. #19 Chevone Marsh turned and fired a strike that thundered against the crossbar.

The Jacks slowly began to build into the game. #6 Omar Ciss had an outstanding first half in the midfield, retrieving loose balls and finding outlets.

In the 35th minute, the Independence broke through first. Ngah got the ball out wide and played into #9 Jon Bakero. Bakero flicked it on and Ngah received the give-and-go, beat two defenders, sprinted into the box, and finished on his weaker foot into the corner.

The left back now has two goals in a matter of eight days.

Ngah nearly had his second of the half in the 44th minute, blasting a half-volley from outside the box high.

Charlotte created their second best chance of the half in stoppage time. It was beautiful build-up play through striker #99 Christian Chaney. He creatively flicked onto #15 Rafael Jauregui, who returned the favor to the racing forward. Chaney’s strike hit the outside of the goal post.

Amidst raindrops falling at American Legion Memorial Stadium, the Independence took a one-goal lead to the halftime break.

The measly raindrops turned into a downpour, ensuing a 35-minute lightning delay.

Once the storm passed, Chaney had a good opportunity five minutes in as he stripped the ball from Greenville’s center back. The striker ran in on goal, but missed wide.

Greenville got their first attempt on target in the second half in the 65th minute. Marsh had the chance, but it was struck right at Levy from 10 yards out.

Levy stood tall and made his best save of the match in the 71st minute. A clipped ball to the back post found center back #4 Toby Sims up on the play, but Levy shut down the angle and made a chest save to keep the Jacks in the lead.

Captain (and one of three dads on the roster) #17 Clay Dimick nearly had an exceptional Father’s Day goal in the 76th minute. The right back picked up the ball on the edge of the area and blistered one that caught the outside of the frame.

Second half substitute #11 Bachir Ndiaye had a late chance for the Jacks in the 94th minute. His chance from the top of the box was blocked by a sliding Greenville defender.

Finally after eight minutes of added time, the referee blew the final whistle to make it seven points in eight days for the Independence.

QUOTES:

Head Coach Mike Jeffries on his team’s recent play:

“I think that’s a group of guys that believe in each other, believe in themselves. 
We’ve kind of found a different way to play obviously, without Luis [Alvarez] and Alfredo [Midence] and adjusted fairly well. I think as time goes on, we’ll hopefully be able to push games a little bit further, but Greenville is a really competitive team and we found ways to make plays in the games that get us through. Then tonight, it was good to see that it was not easy, but we were able to close out a game against the team just pushing and desperate.”

Jeffries on what he has learned about his team this week:

“Resilient. Really resilient. 
This was a hard week. No question. And Greenville went through some of the same things. But to travel, a long bus trip, come back basically a day later, fly out completely cross country, play a really hard, good game both times and then come back with a little bit in the tank. It also was a good opportunity for guys to get minutes that maybe haven’t gotten as much over the course of the season. I think guys stepped up and proved that they can help contribute to our group.”

Matt Levy on the team’s impressive stretch:

“Just to see everybody come out and work as hard as they did with the schedule that we had this week, which was really tough, especially playing the number one team in the league right now and away getting some points is amazing. It just shows how resilient the team is and how deep our bench is, which is a really good thing, especially after losing to crucial players like Luis and Alfredo. Getting seven points in one week is very good for the group, and I think we’re super excited to see the rest of the season holds.”

SPOKANE, WA (June 11, 2025) – A battle between USL League One’s top two teams ended in a draw Wednesday night as the Charlotte Independence and Spokane Velocity FC tied 1-1.

The Independence, winner of four of their last five games, traveled to Spokane on a short week following their 2-0 victory over South Georgia Tormenta. A victory would have elevated Charlotte to first place in the league table.

Charlotte’s Christian Chaney netted his fifth goal of the season in the first half, but Spokane’s captain #10 Luis Gil answered with his fourth goal of the season early in the second half.

It was a first half of very few chances on target. Spokane had the first half-chance as #30 Massango Akale drove the byline and attempted a shot with the outside of the foot, but right at Jacks goalkeeper #28 Matt Levy.

A minute later, Chaney had an excellent chance. A low, hard cross from #13 Anthony Sorenson went right onto the striker’s foot, but he glanced it wide from point-blank range.

Chaney made up for it in the 20th minute. The Jacks worked the ball beautifully up the field. #26 Souaibou Marou played it through to the overlapping #17 Clay Dimick. Dimick’s cross was deflected straight to Chaney, who made no mistake with a side-footed volley from the penalty spot.

Chaney’s 31st career USL League One goal now ties him for 2nd on the league’s all-time scoring list.

Spokane midfielder #15 Ismalia Jome just missed wide a left-footed curler in the 25th minute after dancing past a couple of Jacks.

Spokane held 60% possession in the first half, but the collective defense from Charlotte was very strong, not allowing any great chances from the home side.

Charlotte took a 1-0 lead to the halftime stoppage with first place in sight.

Spokane came out quickly to begin the second half with a couple of chances.

Off a Spokane corner in the 51st minute, an attempted header glanced off a Spokane shoulder, then off #11 Bachir Ndiaye, slowing it up enough for Levy to react. Two minutes later, #10 Luis Gil tried a curler from the top of the box, but couldn’t hit the frame.

But in the 53rd minute, the league leaders found the equalizer. Gil headed it home off a delightful cross from Akale, leaving Levy no chance.

After a slow start to the half, head coach Mike Jeffries turned to his bench. The substitutions regained order to the game for the Jacks as #8 Juan David Moreno brought extra pace out wide and #9 Jon Bakero brought more offensive poise to the midfield.

The final 25 minutes of play were pretty even as the two sides had their shares of possession in the opposition’s half.

Late substitute #77 Pedro Fonseca got his first look at goal with the Jacks in the 83rd minute, but he was shut down at the near post by Spokane goalkeeper #1 Carlos Merancio.

The Jacks earned a corner kick as the clock struck the final minute of stoppage time. Bakero’s whipped in ball found the head of #5 Javen Romero, but the center back could not keep it under the crossbar.

The head referee blew the whistle directly after, ending the battle between the league’s top two teams at a 1-1 stalemate.

QUOTES:

Head Coach Mike Jeffries on his team’s performance:

“I thought it was a very good game from both sides. Somewhat of a shame that both sides were on tired legs and that clearly impacted the game. I thought for us, we came out very well. We were sharp at the beginning and caused them trouble. We created a couple good chances early and got a good goal out of it…I felt like in the second half, we faded a little bit fitness fatigue wise. We weren’t able to quite get as much pressure as we needed, and then they were able to pin us in and causes a lot of trouble.”

Jeffries on the team’s buy-in defensively:

“The guys stuck with the system. They managed the game really well and battled all night and a lot of guys won individual battles and then fought hard, so the guys deserve a lot of props for how they managed the game.”

Clay Dimick on the team’s defense:

“It was a tough battle on the road against one of the stronger teams in the league. To go across the country during a busy week and grind out a result says a lot about the grit and mentality of this group. Defensively as a unit, we stuck together during tough spells in the game which is a good characteristic of a winning team.”

Christopher Jaime on making his first start for the club:

“It felt great to get my first start, especially in such a big game. We fought from the first minute and had some great moments, although we wanted all three points, a tie is a good result during this stretch of games.”