Goals from Abrams, Thatcher, Bornkamp and Dike secure 4-2 win
The Greenville Liberty showed plenty of firepower in their debut, earning a 4-2 win against the Charlotte Independence in their first USL W League regular season match on Sunday. Goals from Abrams, Thatcher, Bornkamp and Dike helped the new club earn a convincing road victory as they began their inaugural campaign.
The Sunday afternoon match began on a blistering day at American Legion Stadium in Charlotte. Greenville commanded the game during the first 15 minutes after Bob Jones University’s Anna Grace Abrams scored the first Liberty goal off a set play, putting Greenville ahead 1-0. Greenville continued to challenge the Charlotte goalkeeper, threatening shots from both wide and center field. Midway through the first half, a 30-minute weather delay interrupted the proceedings and changed the momentum. Following their return to the pitch, Charlotte regained energy and began putting pressure on Greenville’s defense, though the score remained the same at 1-0 into the half.
A furious exchange of scoring highlighted the beginning of the second half. In the 52nd minute, Greenville’s Carly Thatcher drilled a left-footed ball into the Charlotte net to double the score. The 2-0 lead didn’t last for long, as, just minutes later, Charlotte drove down the field and returned the score to push the match to 1-2. The next play, Greenville’s Dubem Dike was on the receiving end of a Charlotte foul resulting in a penalty kick. Clemson All-American, Megan Bornkamp, sunk the PK to solidify the lead for Greenville.
In the 66th minute, Breckyn Monteith had a chance to add to the scoreboard, but the ball was tipped away by Charlotte’s keeper. With less than 15 minutes to play, Charlotte converted another scoring opportunity to cut the Greenville lead by one, 2-3. Not satisfied, Greenville striker Dubem Dike put the ball away in the bottom left corner minutes later to punctuate the victory.
The Greenville Liberty returns home to kick off their Inaugural Home Opener May 20th at 7 pm in Triumph Stadium against the NC Courage U23s. Tickets are on sale now.
