SPOKANE, WA — Spokane Velocity FC held Charlotte Independence scoreless at home this Wednesday in a 3-0 victory and rose to fourth place in USL League One standings with 29 points, coming within a point of Charlotte for third.
Velocity FC head coach Leigh Veidman reflected on Wednesday’s win, with his side being the first to hold the Independence scoreless all season.
“It’s incredible, they’re a really good attacking team. They have some individuals there that have very good quality and are very dangerous,” said Veidman. “It says everything about the group, mentality in training, and bringing that into the game. It’s full credit to the guys.”
Charlotte pressured Spokane early, earning a corner kick in the 2nd minute of the match. Independence midfielder Jon Bakero sent in the set piece and found Javen Romero deep inside the box, who connected on a header but missed it wide right.
The Independence’s first shot on target came in the 18th minute when forward Prince Saydee fired a rocket outside the box, with Velocity FC goalkeeper Sean Lewis blocking it cleanly to keep the match scoreless. Lewis notched his second straight clean sheet and third overall this season.
Chances from either side were few and far between, with both defenses holding strong in the first half to prevent any goals. Velocity FC’s best opportunity came in the 45th minute when Andre Lewis and Marky Hernández both missed open attempts in the center of the box.
Spokane broke through in the 52nd minute when midfielder Luis Gil was fouled while in the air by Charlotte defender Fabrice Ngah in the penalty area. Velocity FC’s captain calmly sent his penalty kick past goalkeeper Matt Levy and into the bottom right of the net to give Spokane a 1-0 lead.
Hoping to boost their offensive attack, the Independence subbed on forward Luis Álvarez, who leads League One in goals scored this season with nine, in the 64th minute.
It came to no avail, however, as it was Spokane who found another goal in the 73rd minute. This time it was midfielder Joe Gallardo, who scored a strike from the right side of the box to give Velocity FC a commanding 2-0 lead over Charlotte.
Gallardo reflected on what went right for Spokane in the second half, with all three goals
coming in the final 45 minutes of the match.
“What we did better in the second half was our composure in the final third and being clinical,” said Gallardo. “In past games, we weren’t clinical in the final third and that’s why we weren’t winning games.”
Velocity FC continued their perfect night, with Nil Vinyals adding the finishing touches with a goal of his own in the 88th minute to seal his side’s 3-0 shutout over the Independence.
Spokane defender Simon Fitch, who assisted on Gallardo’s goal in the 73rd minute,
spoke on the importance of depth as the season goes on.
“It feels like we’re in a period where we’re finally getting a lot of guys healthy, and that’s a huge boost,” said Fitch.
With the win, Velocity FC is now one point behind Charlotte for third place and is four points behind One Knoxville SC for second. Coach Veidman spoke on the nature of the League One table at this point of the season.
“The league’s tight and we’re still very early in the season. If you win a game or two, you’ll pop up near the top of the table,” said Veidman. “If you lose a couple, you drop all the way down, that’s just how it goes.”
Velocity FC will be back at ONE Spokane Stadium this Saturday when the Lads host Fort Wayne FC at 6 PM PT. Spokane is on a three match winning streak and will look to strengthen its standing with another home victory. Don’t miss the action, get your tickets now and cheer on the Lads as they continue their third season in League One!
