Goals by Mackin, Braithwaite lift Greenville to third straight win
Greenville, SC (June 11, 2022) – The Greenville Liberty Soccer Club persevered through a tight second half to remain unbeaten, downing the visiting Charlotte Independence 2-1 at Triumph Stadium on Saturday night in a match presented by ScanSource. The win moved the Liberty to 6-0-1 on the season.
The Liberty continued a run of taking command early, with Clemson’s Julie Mackin pushing the ball up field from her left back position. Mackin’s constant pressure in the opening minutes was rewarded when she tracked down one of her own blocked shots, dribbled around a defender and chipped the Charlotte keeper after she was pulled off her line to defend the initial shot. Mackin’s precise chip found the back of the net to put the Liberty on the board only nine minutes in to the match.
Greenville stalked the Charlotte goal for the remainder of the half, with several shots sailing just wide of the bar. Greenville held the one-goal lead until the 57th minute, when Greenville’s Christian Braithwaite took the ball at the top of the 18-yard box, dribbled left and then pinged a shot off the far post and in to give the Liberty a 2-0 lead. Charlotte answered back ten minutes later, when Ayden Yates snuck a slow shot past Greenville’s Katelyn Kellogg to cut the Liberty lead to 2-1.
In the closing minutes, Greenville found themselves in the rare spot this season of having to close out a tight match with only a one-goal lead. The unbeaten squad didn’t flinch, completing the 2-1 win and widening their lead on top of the South Atlantic division.
The Liberty return to the Upstate on Tuesday, June 28th for the club’s regular season home finale at 7:00 PM.