Pep Biel fuels Charlotte FC win over San Jose

Pep Biel recorded a goal and a pair of assists, helping lead Charlotte FC to a 4-1 victory over the visiting San Jose Earthquakes on Saturday night.

Biel's goal opened the scoring and was followed by scores from Ashley Westwood and Brandt Bronico, building a 3-0 halftime lead for Charlotte (3-1-1, 10 points), which won its third game in four tries. Kristijan Kahlina finished with five saves in the win.

San Jose (2-0-3, 6 points) outshot Charlotte 27-14, but its only goal came after falling behind 4-0 as Cristian Arango connected on a 77th-minute penalty shot. After beginning the season with a pair of wins, the Earthquakes have now dropped three in a row and haven't scored more than one goal in a game since March 1.

After Charlotte's Wilfried Zaha and Idan Toklomati each had unsuccessful shots on goal in the fourth minute, Biel fired a left-footed strike from outside of the box in the 11th minute, giving Charlotte the early 1-0 advantage.

Following more chances for Charlotte, Toklomati's perfect cross to Westwood resulted in the club's second goal at the 36-minute mark. Just four minutes later, Biel found Bronico, whose first goal of the season gave Charlotte a commanding 3-0 halftime lead.

San Jose outshot Charlotte 10-7 in the first half, but just three were on goal, compared to Charlotte's six.

After Biel's shot missed wide left in the opening minutes of the second half, he delivered an assist in the 52nd minute to Kerwin Vargas, who tallied the fourth score against San Jose goalkeeper Daniel.

In the 74th minute, Charlotte's Andrew Privett was sent off with a red card for a foul in the box, leading to Arango's penalty goal to pull San Jose within three. It marked his third goal of the season. No other San Jose player has scored more than one this year.

Charlotte will look to extend its winning streak next week at the Colorado Rapids, while San Jose returns home to host the Seattle Sounders.

--Field Level Media