Dante Leverock and his Harrisburg City Islanders teammates cruised to victory over the Charlotte Independence (2-3-2) after a pair of first half scores secured a 2-0 win.
Skyline Sports Complex hosted 2,167 fans as the Islanders extended their unbeaten streak to five straight matches and remain undefeated at home.
Cardel Benbow began scoring in the 11th minute after Neil Shaffer saved a broken play. After a through ball was intercepted by the Independence, Shaffer regained possession for the home team and delivered a sliding pass to spring the Jamaican forward on a race to the penalty area, where he buried a laser past the near post.
The Islanders wouldn’t stop there, as a 35th minute corner kick by Jason Plumhoff found the head of Ken Tribbett, to send the Isles into the break with a 2-0 lead.
Charlotte struggled to find first half opportunities, but their best opportunity came in the 28th minute when Jack Thompson’s point-blank take was deflected away as Islanders keeper Nick Noble fell to his right hip. Independence forward Ryan Finley accounted for three of the visitor’s four opening half shots and five of their eight for the match.
The second half wouldn’t provide any goals, despite yielding a total of seven shots from the two sides.
The most dangerous opportunity came in the 74th minute when Charlotte midfielder Enzo Martinez fired a rocket from 20 yards out, forcing Noble to dive to his right to deflect the shot away. The Independence also threatened the goal with eight corner kick chances, but the home defense held strong to seal Noble’s second consecutive shutout.
The triumph keeps Harrisburg in fifth place and firmly in playoff position in the USL Eastern Conference table.
