CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Karol Swiderski scored in the first half and goalkeeper George Marks made it stand up as Charlotte FC edged the Columbus Crew 1-0 on Saturday night.
Charlotte (2-4-3) took the lead for good in the 37th minute when Swiderski used passes from Kamil Józwiak and Bill Tuiloma to score his second goal of the season.
Columbus (4-3-2) was tagged with a loss for just the sixth time in its last 31 regular-season matches. Only Cincinnati, with four, has fewer defeats over that span.
Charlotte came from behind twice last season to earn draws with the Crew.
Charlotte outshot the Crew 11-10 with a 4-3 edge in shots on goal.
Marks finished with three saves to earn the clean sheet for Charlotte. Patrick Schulte saved three shots for Columbus.
Columbus returns home to host Inter Miami on Saturday. Charlotte travels to play DC United on Saturday.
