WSC Edged in Season Opener: John Murphy’s first goal with his new club in extra time of the first half eventually proved to be the game winner as defending USL League one champion One Knoxville SC hung on for a 3-2 season opening win against Westchester Soccer Club March 7 in Mt. Vernon, spoiling the tightly contested debut of new WSC head coach George Gjokaj. One Knoxville jumped out to a 1-0 first half lead, with Denis Krioutchenkov beating first year netminder Matias Molina 12 minutes into the match, but WSC got on the board when returning midfielder Conor McGlynn scored on a penalty at the 19 minute mark. Krioutchenkov’s second goal of the match at the 22 minute mark gave Knoxville the lead for good, with Murphy’s first of the season extending the lead just before the horn. It stayed 3-1 on the drizzly, damp and foggy night before WSC got within 3-2 when Kyle Evans scored in late stoppage time with his first career goal, but Knoxville hung on for the win before 1,776 fans at the Stadium at Memorial Field despite being outshot by WSC 13-10. It was the first win for One Knoxville against WSC after a pair of 1-1 draws last season.
Close Shaves Still Cut Deep: The one goal loss continued a pattern for WSC from their inaugural season, when they went 2-14-7 when they entered the second 45 either tied or behind and were 2-11 in one goal w/l decisions. Six of their least eight home matches have now been decided by one goal. WSC was 2-14-7 when they entered the second 45 either tied or behind with Saturday’s draw. They were 2-11 in one goal w/l decisions, and were blanked five times, three times time at home. WSC’s longest winless streak (excluding their 3-0 forfeit win over Spokane on July 16) was a 12 match streak which started after a 2-1 win at Forward Madison on June 18 and ended with a 2-1 win over Texoma on Sept. 21. That stretch included six one goal losses and three ties.
Last season vs Charlotte: The Independence took both meetings between the two clubs last season. Christian Chaney beat keeper Andrew Hammersley with a shot to the right corner just 20 minutes into the match, and the Charlotte Independence held on for a 1-0 win August 14 in Charlotte. In their first meeting, Souaibou Marou scored his third second half goal in the ninetieth minute as the Charlotte erased a 2-O first half deficit to defeat Westchester SC 3-2 and spoiling the clubs USL League One home opener on May 11 in Mount Vernon. Conor McGlynn and J.C. Obregón staked WSC to a 2-0 lead, but the game flow changed quickly in the second half, and Marou’s first score off a wild scramble in front cut the lead to 2-1 in the fifty seventh minute, beating keeper Andrew Hammersley, who was making his professional debut in net. Charlotte then knotted the score at 2-2 on Marou’s second goal in the seventy seventh minute, setting the stage for the tiebreaker just before extra time.
Home stretch to open: WSC will play the second of three straight matches (2 USL League One, 1 US Open Cup) at The Stadium at Memorial Field in Mt. Vernon. WSC ended their inaugural home campaign at 3-8-4 (including their 3-0 forfeit win over Spokane) winning two of their last three home matches on the schedule, 2-1 over Texoma on September 21 and 2-0 over Naples on Oct. 12.
Road Work: WSC finished the season 2-8-5 on the road, and 3-13-3 against clubs holding a playoff spot. That includes wins at Madison and Texoma and a 4-4 tie at Richmond, which is the club’s high mark for goals scored.
New Faces Make Debuts: Westchester Soccer Club will have a decidedly young and local look as the 2026 season comes closer, as new Head Coach and General Manager George Gjokaj will have at least 14 athletes with local roots on the potential opening day roster. Westchester Soccer Club will look to build on their 5-16-9 record in their initial season in USL League One. In last week’s opener eight of the 11 starters were making their WSC debut.
Among the new faces are:
Partners for ’26: WSC’s list of partners for the season include: Northwell (Healthcare), Healthfirst (Health Insurance), Leros Transportation Group (Transportation), Meagher & Meagher, Attorneys at Law (Personal Injury Law), Breezemont Day Camp (Summer Camp), RXR (Real Estate Development), MSG Networks (Media & Broadcasting), The Taco Project (Restaurant & Food), Duck Donuts (Restaurant & Food), Score PT (Physical Therapy), Walter’s (Restaurant & Food), Keller Williams (Real Estate), ICE AIR (HVAC), Westchester Smoothie (Restaurant & Food), Saw Mill Stone & Masonry Supply (Masonry/Retail), Floor & Décor Flooring & Home Improvement (Home Improvement/Retail), The Gentleman’s Lab (Men’s Grooming / Barbershop), Agora (Social Group), CPR Foundation (Non-Profit/Foundation), Velvet Llama (Liquor), Rory Dolan’s Restaurant & Bar (Restaurant & Food), and Strategic Security Corp (Security Services).
Up Next: WSC hosts New York Renegades in a US Open Cup match on March 19 before taking to the road to close out the month at Greenville on March 29.
