CHARLOTTE, N.C. – Enzo Martinez and Brian Brown scored first-half goals, Jorge Herrera came off the bench with a tally and the Charlotte Independence defeated the Charleston Battery 3-2 on Saturday at the Ramblewood Soccer Complex.

Romario Williams scored his team-leading third goal for the Battery in the second half and Justin Portillo added a late PK for the visitors.

Martinez converted a 25th-minute penalty kick to give Charlotte its first lead of the season. Brown’s 30th-minute rebound and Herrera’s 70th minute score gave Charlotte its strongest offensive performance of the season as the Independence moved to 2-2-0 (6 points) this season. The Battery suffered their first loss of the season, falling to 2-1-1 (7 points).

Charleston had the game’s first close chance in the 11th minute off of a Portillo corner kick from the right. Portillo’s dangerous kick eventually led to Independence Ugandan defender Henry Kalungi making a goal-line clearance.

Charlotte’s Caleb Calvert had a couple close chances in the 13th and 14th minutes, forcing Charleston goalkeeper Alex Tambakis into making a diving save on a long distance shot, and then saving Calvert’s header toward the near right post.

The Independence struck first when Martinez was taken down at the edge of the 18-yard area by Charleston defender Shawn Ferguson. Martinez took the subsequent PK, ran up with no hesitation and drove his shot a bit toward the left of the frame as Tambakis dove to his left away from the shot. Martinez’s first goal of the season gave his side a 1-0 lead and a jubilant moment with supporters near the end line.

Just three minutes later in the 28th minute, the Battery thought they had a penalty kick attempt on the horizon when Ferguson went down in the box. However, the sideline official had ruled that Ferguson was offside and the officiating team nullified a PK attempt.

In the 30th minute, Jamaican striker Brown pushed Charlotte’s lead to 2-0. Calvert’s initial shot hit the crossbar, and Brown secured the rebound. He settled with his left foot with his back to the goal, turned clockwise and ripped a left-footed shot into the right side of the frame for his first tally of the season.

Herrera, with a rare non-start, made a big impact in the second half as he capitalized on a 70th-minute defensive lapse by the Battery defense. Herrera took the interception, cut to his right to elude his defender and fired into the left side of the frame for a 3-0 lead.

In the 76th minute, the Battery got one back as Williams made a strong run down the right side and slotted home to cut the deficit to 3-1 as Charlotte’s defense looked lax on that sequence.

In the 83rd minute, Charleston took a hit as it had to play the remainder of the match down a man when Zach Prince was issued a straight red card.

Despite being shorthanded, the Battery cut the deficit to 3-2 in the 86th minute following a Yann Ekra foul in the box. Justin Portillo slotted his low PK attempt into the right of the frame to give Charleston a chance down the stretch.

Independence goalkeeper Cody Mizell made a clutch save in stoppage time for Charlotte as Williams nearly snuck the ball through at the left post.

Upcoming Games:

• April 22: Richmond Kickers at Charlotte Independence; Ramblewood Soccer Complex, 7 p.m. ET

• April 24: Charleston Battery at Bethlehem Steel FC; Goodman Stadium, 3 p.m. ET

USLSoccer.com Man of the Match
Jorge Herrera, Charlotte Independence - Though he didn't start, the veteran delivered in his limited second-half time with what proved to be the game-winner.