MATTHEWS – The Charlotte Independence took sole control of first place in the Eastern Conference with an impressive 3-1 win against Louisville City FC at the Sportsplex at Matthews on Saturday. Enzo Martinez netted a hat trick to lead the way for the Independence, while Mark-Anthony Kaye scored the only goal of the game for Louisville City. The win, which saw the Independence move to 11-3-6 (39pts) on the year, improved the club’s unbeaten run to 11 games. Louisville moved to 10-4-5 (35pts) on the year.

Scoring:
11’ – CLT – Enzo Martinez (Callum Ross)
44’ – CLT – Enzo Martinez
48’ – LOU – Mark-Anthony Kaye (Niall McCabe)
80’ – CLT – Enzo Martinez (Donnie Smith)

• #CLTvLOU: Full Match and Opta Box Score

Three Things That Matter:

• 1. Enzo Martinez was the star of the show on Saturday, for a few different reasons. The 26-year-old forward scored his first hat trick as a professional player to lead the Independence to a convincing 3-1 win against Louisville City. However, he also received two yellow cards and a subsequent red card for excessive celebration and will miss the next match.
• 2. The Independence are on a roll and show no signs of slowing down. Saturday’s result was a big test for the club, and it shined to take sole control of first in the conference. The win also extended the Independence’s undefeated streak to 11 games.
• 3. While Louisville City showed signs of strength during the 90 minutes at the Sportsplex at Matthews, the club continued its road woes. With Saturday’s loss, Louisville City has not won a road game since May 20, when the club earned a 1-0 victory against the Harrisburg City Islanders.

USLSoccer.com Man of the Match:

Enzo Martinez, Charlotte Independence – Martinez scored three quality goals to hand the Independence a win in front of 2,648 fans.

Upcoming Games:
Charlotte Independence at Toronto FC II – August 9, 8 p.m. ET, BMO Stadium
Louisville City FC vs. FC Cincinnati – August 12, 7:30 p.m. ET, Louisville Sluggar Stadium