August 30, 2015 Toronto FC II--recap of Toronto FC vs Charlotte Independence (from charlotteindependence.com)
Finley Penalty Kick Rescues Point In Toronto Jillian Fay Blog, News Article TORONTO, ON (Aug. 30, 2015) – A late penalty kick from substitute forward Ryan Finley rescued a point for the Charlotte Independence as the club continued its road trip with a 2-2 draw against Toronto FC II. A flurry of action in the first 15 minutes, courtesy of Patrick Slogic, set a hectic tone for the rest of the match. Toronto’s Jay Chapman pulled the home side ahead in the 58th minute before Finley scratched it out on a call that will leave the Reds feeling unlucky. A burst of end-to-end action at the start of the match saw a tumbling Slogic accidentally turn the ball into his own net in the 14th minute. A low cross from Toronto’s Mark Anthony Kaye took a quick bounce and Slogic was unable to get his footing right on Toronto’s slick turf. Fortunately for the Independence, the towering defender kept his composure and after Enzo Martinez forced a corner out of Toronto’s goalkeeper Quillan Roberts from the restart, Slogic leveled the score. A stinging effort from Martinez called Roberts into a brilliant diving save. Martinez took the ensuing corner and Slogic headed home from point-blank range. The score remained the same going into halftime. Charlotte was forced to make two subs around the halftime whistle, and struggled to regain the same momentum. Toronto made sure to capitalize on the pendulum swing and a smooth passing move between Kaye, Raheem Edwards and Chapman gave the lead back to the hosts. As the game dragged on, both sides tired into a midfield slugfest, but a lung-busting run from Martinez gave the Independence a chance to snatch a point in the dying moments of the match. Finley made no mistake from the spot and recorded his sixth goal of the season with a low drive to the left. Collecting four of a possible six points in Canada this week, the Independence still are in control of their playoff destiny. Now unbeaten in nine games, Charlotte is thriving on a do-or-die mentality. A road game with in-state rivals Wilmington Hammerheads FC awaits on Wednesday. — Compiled by Jared O’Neal, Charlotte Independence
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