Enzo Martinez helps Charlotte Independence to third straight win

Former Northwestern standout Enzo Martinez and the Charlotte Independence earned their third-straight USL-Pro soccer victory Sunday, topping New York Red Bulls II 2-0 at Red Bull Arena. Charlotte handed NYRBII its first loss of the season and kept the first clean sheet of the year for goalkeeper Cody Mizell.

The visiting Independence pressured New York from the very beginning. A long ball fell to the feet of Brian Brown just 30 seconds into the game gave the forward a one-on-one opportunity with Red Bulls II keeper Rafeal Diaz, but he pulled the shot wide right. Twelve minutes later, Brown sent a cross from the left side that was intended for Caleb Calvert but skipped past the Colorado Rapids loanee to Martinez, who had space on the right side and was able to finish for a 1-0 lead.

Martinez has scored in three consecutive games, all Charlotte wins.

Patrick Slogic extended the lead to two in the 33rd minute. The defender got his foot on a loose ball in the box that had been deflected by Gideon Baah and buried the shot. Moments later Martinez nearly scored his second of the night, but Diaz deflected the ball and force it wide.

The Independence (4-2-0) return home this weekend to face FC Montreal (0-4-0) at Ramblewood Stadium on Saturday. Montreal is sitting at the bottom of the Eastern Conference standings and is still searching for their first points of the season. Kickoff is scheduled for 7 p.m.

This story was originally published May 1, 2016 at 7:17 PM with the headline "Enzo Martinez helps Charlotte Independence to third straight win."