MATTHEWS, N.C. – The Charlotte Independence held off the Rochester Rhinos for a 2-1 victory on Saturday at the Sportsplex at Matthews. David Estrada’s first-half brace was the difference in a day filled with weather delays. Rochester’s Wal Fall converted a second-half penalty to put the visiting side within reach, but the Independence were able to hang on the rest of the way. With the win, Charlotte improves to 6-3-4 (22 points) overall and 3-1-2 at home. The Independence extended their unbeaten streak to four games (3-0-1). Rochester drops to 5-3-5 (20 points) overall and 1-2-3 on the road. The Rhinos have lost back-to-back games for the first time this year, previously falling 1-0 to Orlando City B on June 23, after the club posted an eight-game unbeaten run (4-0-4).

Scoring:
12’ – CLT – David Estrada (Alex Martinez)
25’ – CLT – David Estrada
67’ – ROC – Wal Fall (penalty)

• #CLTvROC: Full match and Opta box score

Three Things That Mattered:

• 1. The first half was all David Estrada with the brace. He got them started with a goal in the 12th minute, with the Martinez brothers providing the buildup. Enzo Martinez dished to Alex Martinez, whose through ball lead Estrada and got Rochester goalkeeper Daniel Lynd off the line. Estrada slotted his shot past Lynd for the early 1-0 lead. Then in the 25th minute, it was Estrada that provided the initial push, eventually leading to an Enzo Martinez shot from the right of the box. Lynd made the save, but Estrada latched onto the rebound and finished for a two-goal cushion heading into halftime.

• 2. Rochester had a great run of play nearly 20 minutes into the second half and keeping Independence goalkeeper Cody Mizell on his toes, with Jochen Graf and Kenardo Forbes both forcing some saves from Mizell. Then the Rhinos drew a handball in the box and Wal Fall got his side on the score sheet in the 67th minute. It wasn’t an easy conversion, though, as Fall slotted his first attempt inside the right post. However, a player jumped in early and Fall had to retake. Fall smartly chose the inside of the left post with his second attempt and cut the Independence lead to 2-1.

• 3. The match certainly posed a difficult situation for both teams with a pair of weather delays. The kickoff was delayed by two and a half hours, the two teams played through the entirety of the first half, but then the second half was also pushed back because of the weather. The game didn’t end until the early a.m. hours.

USLSoccer.com Man of the Match:
David Estrada, Charlotte Independence – Estrada’s first-half brace provided the early push to keep host Charlotte on top the rest of the way.

Upcoming Games:
Charlotte Independence at Pittsburgh Riverhounds – July 4, 7 p.m. ET, Highmark Stadium
Rochester Rhinos at Saint Louis FC – July 5, 8 p.m. ET, Toyota Stadium – Saint Louis